Doctors with Long Covid To Take Legal Action (and other news)
Doctors who have suffered significantly from their Covid infections and now living with Long Covid have begun legal action. We would like to send our best wishes and solidarity to members of Long Covid Doctors for Action (@LCD4A on X), many of who our team know personally and who have backed this campaign.
If nothing else, their campaign for justice highlights the awful situation many Keyworkers are in, trying to live with Long Covid.
This is also an apology of sorts for being quiet for so long: The main team members, Cass, Rachel and Sarah have been dealing with a lot of personal and issues and other advocacy work, though Brenda has been in the news talking about her Long Covid journey. We all wish we had more energy to do more. Cass feels they never do enough.
It’s not right to discuss any of the personal issues some of us are going through, but Cass has been doing a lot of work with a core participant at the Scottish Covid Inquiry, the Scottish Healthcare Workers’ Coalition. They’ve been getting ready to present their organisational statement to the Inquiry which has taken a lot of work to get ready. Cass has volunteered to deliver this statement at the Scottish Inquiry, as many of her colleagues within that group aren’t well enough. This group has been doing some incredible work, which include a small survey of group members, analysis of data and investigations. It’s not been easy work. Cass was also selected for a personal witness statement to the Inquiry, which is going to take more than one session. These are two hours at a time and leave Cass absolutely exhausted.
This means, unfortunately, that the pensions work had to pause for now, although gathering the research for the Case Study Report has received support from many. Putting these things together takes a lot of energy and Cass only has so much! It also means sorting out the pensions survey has also had to take a back seat for now. However, the initial data gathered will go into the report, with a further survey going online, hopefully in the next month or so.
Work progresses towards getting a debate in Scotland for International Long Covid Awareness Day in March. We will also have a big announcement around that coming soon. Unfortunately, attempting to get the cross party support we need for a Westminster debate has ground to a halt - and we haven’t been well enough to start a second round of emails to MPs to get this sorted out. We are still looking for Liberal Democrat, Labour and Tory support for this motion. If you could write to your MP and ask them to support a debate on Long Covid, this would be amazing. If they can then contact Deidre Brock MP and Caroline Lucas MP, that would be fantastic. That said, we have been working behind the scenes to discuss activities around the U.K. with other groups, so stay tuned!
In the meantime, spare a thought for Cass, who has done some incredible work attending the U.K. Covid Inquiry as it sits in Edinburgh. They were on BBC Radio Scotland on the Kay Adams show yesterday. You can hear them talking between 9.15 and 9.30am. They were also interviewed by STV News yesterday (you can also see Cass for a short period on the STV Player under news at 6 from 24/1/24). Cass would like to thank Laura Alderman for her incredible kindness and professionalism, especially in dealing with two cats who wanted constant attention during filming! Cass is off to the Inquiry today, with other Keyworkers and colleagues from Long Covid Scotland as the First Minister, Humza Yousaf gives evidence.
We would like to say that all this is exhausting and it’s so unfair. Where is the research, the clinics and diagnostics, treatment for what can be treated? Where are long Covid specialists? Why are so many with long Covid, especially Keyworkers with occupational Long Covid STILL struggling to get the benefits they’re entitled to, their pensions? There’s a vaccine injury compensation fund, but not one that has caused suffering and misery to hundreds of thousands of Keyworkers who have had their lives RUINED. Those who can still work are experiencing appalling discrimination in the workplace - with one person telling us their trust told them Long Covid doesn’t fall under the Equality Act! This senior person is exceptionally misinformed, but it raises concerns about how widespread this is across the U.K. We need to keep Keyworkers in work if we can and look after them if we can’t. That’s why we do this and the other work across the U.K.
That was a long one! Thank you for your continued support. As always, sharing and encouraging people to sign the petition is always appreciated.