The long-term effects of Covid-19 and long Covid remain pressing challenges for mothers, infants, children, and health visitors in the UK, says nurse Dr Ruth Oshikanlu
Over five years have passed since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, yet its effects continue to impact lives, particularly for those suffering from long Covid.
I contracted Covid-19 in March 2020 while working as an agency health visitor in north London. At that time, many community healthcare workers were left without proper personal protective equipment (PPE) and faced high exposure risks. Within two weeks of starting my role, I became severely ill.
My initial infection lasted six weeks, but even after recovering, I continued experiencing extreme fatigue, brain fog, tinnitus, and joint pain lasting symptoms that were eventually diagnosed as long Covid over a year later.
What is the reality of long Covid?
Long Covid, also known as post-Covid-19 syndrome, refers to persistent symptoms that continue beyond 12 weeks after infection and are not explained by other diagnoses. According to NHS England1, symptoms include:
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- Severe fatigue
- Shortness of breath
- Joint and muscle pain
- Brain fog and difficulty concentrating.
More than 2 million people in England and Scotland are living with long Covid.2 Many of these individuals are community nurses and health visitors who contracted the virus while working. Unfortunately, many have lost their jobs or had to take ill-health retirement due to the debilitating nature of long Covid, affecting their identity and mental wellbeing.
The pandemic’s impact on mothers, infants, and children
The Covid-19 pandemic has deeply affected not only health visitors, but also the families they support. For many new mothers, the isolation brought on by lockdowns, along with economic worries and limited access to vital perinatal care, led to a sharp rise in anxiety and depression. Postnatal depression rates have surged, underscoring the urgent need for timely intervention and continuous support.3
The pandemic’s toll on babies has been just as profound. With social restrictions limiting early social interactions, many infants missed out on key developmental opportunities, such as learning how to communicate and regulate their emotions.
Delays in health visits meant that issues like speech delays and motor skill challenges weren’t identified until much later. On top of this, the rising stress and anxiety levels in mothers during this time have had a lasting impact on parent-child bonding and the mental wellbeing of their babies.4
Many of these children are now preparing to start school but may not yet have developed the necessary social and emotional skills, such as toilet training, to thrive in a classroom setting.
Children across the board have also felt the strain. School closures, isolation, and interruptions to their education have led to increased mental health struggles, emotional trauma, and developmental delays.5 The most vulnerable children – especially those from lower-income families – have been disproportionately affected, with higher rates of behavioural, emotional, and attention difficulties.6
Challenges in health visiting services
Health visiting services, which provide crucial support for families with young children, were severely disrupted during the pandemic. In 2020, many services operated at partial capacity, and universal child health services were scaled back, leaving vulnerable families with limited support. The pandemic has underscored the necessity of ensuring that health visiting services remain fully functional in future public health crises.
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The Institute of Health Visiting7 has urged decision-makers to protect health visiting services, ensuring that health visitors are not redeployed so that children’s well-being remains a priority. They emphasise that simply restoring services to pre-pandemic levels is not enough – health visiting needs to be strengthened beyond the status quo.8
By doing so, we can provide families with the support they need, reduce inequalities, and lay a stronger foundation for children’s health, social mobility, and recovery from the challenges of recent years.
Supporting health visitors with long Covid
Health visitors play a crucial role in identifying and supporting families, but workforce shortages and the lasting effects of long Covid have put immense strain on the sector. It is essential to support community nurses and health visitors living with long Covid so they can return to work.
On 15 March 2025, the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) marked International Long Covid Awareness Day. As part of this initiative, I facilitated a workshop on long Covid recovery, where the long Covid recovery programme commissioned by the RCN was launched. This pilot programme aims to support RCN members living with long Covid in their journey back to work, ensuring they receive the help they need to continue serving their communities.
Moving forward
The long-term effects of Covid-19 remain a pressing challenge for mothers, infants, children, and health visitors in the UK. Strengthening health visiting services, addressing workforce shortages, and providing structured support for those affected by Long Covid are vital steps toward ensuring a healthier future for all.
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Dr Ruth Oshikanlu MBE is a nurse entrepreneur and executive director of Goal Mind and Abule CIC. She is a Queen’s Nurse, Fellow of the Royal College of Nursing specialising in addressing health disparities and inequities.
References
- NHS England. (2024). Post-COVID Syndrome (Long COVID). Retrieved from https://www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/post-Covid-syndrome-long-Covid/
- Office for National Statistics. (2024). Long COVID Prevalence Estimates.
- Maternal Mental Health Alliance (2021) Maternal mental health during a pandemic: A rapid evidence review of Covid-19’s impact. Available at: https://maternalmentalhealthalliance.org/campaign/projects/mmhpandemic/
- Vigod, SN, Brown HK, Huang A. (2021). Perinatal mental health during COVID-19: Urgent issues and policy gaps. The Lancet Psychiatry.
- Pierce M, Hope H, Ford T, et al. (2020). Mental health before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: A longitudinal probability sample survey of the UK population. The Lancet Psychiatry.
- Loades ME, Chatburn E, Higson-Sweeney N, et al. (2021). Rapid systematic review: The impact of social isolation and loneliness on mental health in children and adolescents in the context of COVID-19. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry.
- Institute of Health Visiting (iHV). (2021). Strengthening health visiting services post-pandemic.
- Institute of Health Visiting. (n.d.). Written evidence from the Institute of Health Visiting (GRC0024) – Committees. Retrieved from https://committees.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/6968/default/
