A third of healthcare workers report symptoms consistent with long Covid, yet only 7.4 per cent say they have received a formal diagnosis.
A survey of over 5,000 healthcare workers designed to track the mental and physical health of NHS staff throughout and beyond the Covid-19 pandemic revealed that 33.6 per cent of those in healthcare report symptoms consistent with post-Covid syndrome (PCS), more commonly known as long Covid.
The findings published in Occupational and Environmental Medicine have raised concerns that despite a widespread prevalence of symptoms, healthcare professionals with long Covid symptoms are not seeking care or being diagnosed.
Researchers from King’s College London (KCL) and University College London (UCL) analysed data from healthcare workers collected between April 2020 and January 2021. This was part of the NHS CHECK study, a longitudinal study exploring healthcare worker’s mental and physical well-being during and after the Covid-19 pandemic, for which data was collected at baseline and then six, 12 and 32 months afterwards. PCS data was collected at 12 and 32 months. The study used the NICE definition of long Covid, which includes symptoms like fatigue, cognitive difficulties, and anxiety for 12 weeks or more after having a positive diagnosis of Covid-19.
One-third of people in the sample with a previous Covid-19 infection reported symptoms lasting for 12 or more weeks, indicating PCS. Only 7.4 per cent reported having been formally diagnosed with PCS.
The researchers found that having a diagnosed mental disorder was the strongest observed risk factor for reporting PCS at least 12 months later. Direct contact with Covid-19 patients, having a pre-existing respiratory illness, female sex, and older age were also risk factors.
Dr Danielle Lamb, who led the research and is a senior research fellow at UCL, added: ‘Covid-19 has not gone away. We know that more infections mean more people are at risk of developing long Covid. This research shows that we should be particularly concerned about the impacts of this on the health and social care sector, especially in older and female workers and staff with pre-existing physical and mental health conditions.’
She added: ‘We now need to better understand the complex interplay between biomedical, psychological, and social factors that affect people’s experiences of long Covid, and how healthcare workers with this condition can best be supported.’
The research team is calling for urgent improvements in diagnostic practices and access to support for those living with long Covid in the healthcare sector.
