Yahoo News See how many people are living with Long Covid in your area with our new gadget
A new report by Health Equity North has revealed significant inequalities in rates of Long Covid across the country, with a clear North-South divide in the figures. Their analysis of GP Patient Survey data from 2022 found the North West had the highest number of people reporting Long Covid symptoms (5.5 per cent) followed by the North East and Yorkshire (5.1 per cent).
The regions with the lowest rates were the South West (3.4 per cent) and the South East (3.6 per cent), and the rate in London stood at 4.8 per cent - slightly higher than the national average of 4.4 per cent across England.
However, in some London GP practices more than one in seven patients (15 per cent) reported having Long Covid - including Perivale Medical Clinic in Ealing and Prince Of Wales Group Surgery in Camden. See the figures for your GP surgery using our interactive gadget below.
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Long Covid includes physical, cognitive and mental impairments, with brain fog, fatigue, breathlessness, low mood, and depression among the most common symptoms. Across England, 1.9 million people were experiencing a myriad of self-reported Long Covid symptoms as of March 2023, with 79 per cent saying it has had a negative impact on their day-to-day activities.
Fatigue was named as the most common symptom, and over half reported reduced functionality in their everyday activities, which resulted in their inability to return to work. Many of the people involved in the research had been demoted, fired, forced to resign or switch to part-time work because of Long Covid.
During the research, one participant said: "At one point, more than once, I was surprised to wake up the next morning. I felt like I was having stroke-like symptoms, the pressure in my head. I couldn't move enough to either call for my children or to reach for my phone to get help. I think I lost consciousness. The next morning, I was like, I can't believe I'm waking up. I wrote my end of life wishes and told my kids what to do if I didn't make it."
The report's findings have prompted calls for more research into Long Covid, and for the Government to implement care plans to facilitate rehabilitation and management of the condition.
Dr Stephanie Scott, lead author of the report and Senior Lecturer in Public Health at Newcastle University, said: "Long Covid is a complex condition that goes beyond physical and mental symptoms, affecting other parts of people's lives including their sense of self and professional identity. This can then lead to experiences of social isolation."
She continued: "Currently, there is little evidence-based treatment for Long Covid and the health system focuses on symptom management. This needs to change. Our research has offered a glimpse into the reality of what it is like to live with this often-debilitating condition and the knock-on effects it has on people's personal and professional lives."
Dr Scott shared her hopes for more research and funding to be made available for Long Covid: "I hope that the evidence presented in this report cuts through to policymakers and gets the attention it deserves so more research into Long Covid is funded, and so measures can be put into place which enables employers to better support their workforce with Long Covid."
Highest rates in London
GP Practice - percentage of patients with Long Covid
Perivale Medical Clinic - 15
Prince Of Wales Group Surgery - 15
Danebury Avenue Surgery - 14
The Ridgeway Surgery - 14
The Rise Group Practice - 14
Willow Tree Surgery - 13
Brookfield Park Surgery - 13
Queens Road Surgery - 13
Kensington Park Medical Centre - 13
Jubilee Street Practice - 12
The Elm Practice - 12
The Notting Hill Medical Centre - 12
Morris House Group Practice - 12
Willesden Green Surgery - 12
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