Post-COVID Syndrome (Long COVID): The continuing effects

This report builds on earlier reports Healthwatch Havering have published and work previously carried out by the Healthwatch organisations in Barking & Dagenham, Havering and Redbridge, which examine the effects of Long COVID on people in Havering. For this report, Healthwatch Havering invited people who had responded to their earlier surveys about the effects of Long COVID, together with some patients who had been seen at the Long COVID Clinic at King George Hospital, provided by NELFT., to attend a series of Focus Group sessions at the end of May 2024. Four sessions were held, two in person at Hornchurch and Harold Wood Libraries respectively, and two by video conference. 21 people with experiences of Long COVID ranging from little more than inconvenience to near-total incapacity took part in these events. 

Overall, individuals with Long COVID expressed a range of support needs, from medical care and recognition of their condition to emotional support, advocacy, and access to comprehensive services that address the multifaceted impact of Long COVID on their lives.