A BARNT GREEN and West Midlands GP who suffered the effects of long covid first hand before launching one of Britain’s first-ever online clinics dedicated to helping those with the disease has said employers, doctors and family members aren’t taking symptoms seriously.
Dr Ben Sinclair was speaking after his healthcare service ‘Dr Finlay’s Private Practice’- named after the famous family GP in the hit BBC TV drama ‘Dr Finlay’s Casebook’- was named business of the year at the Phoenix Business Club Awards.
In Britain, an estimated 2million people now suffer from long Covid, with numbers rising.
A keen triathlete before falling ill, the 46-year-olds life was turned upside down after contracting Covid, suffering temporary partial paralysis, brain fog and difficulty walking.
After making a full recovery, he then used his own experiences and expertise in treating the virus to launch his revolutionary online clinic for Long Covid sufferers.
But Dr Sinclair said a lot of his long Covid patients have complained of ‘not being taken seriously’ after going to see their doctor about potential symptoms.
Dr Sinclair said: “A lot of my Long Covid patients now say to me when they went they were told that they were anxious, that they were tired, or stressed, that they should take it easy or go for a run and blow away the cobwebs.
“But actually, this diagnosis of Long Covid was being missed.
“Sadly, some people were not recognising Long Covid.
“Some employers, doctors, consultants and even family members don’t believe it exists, which can be incredibly distressing for the patient suffering from it.
“Because I have had it myself, I understand how frustrating that is and my patients tell me they feel reassured that I understand how they are feeling.”
Dr Sinclair’s Birmingham city centre practice only offered face-to-face appointments and video consultations pre-pandemic, but as the health crisis grew he pivoted to help the wider West Midlands through an online service, including Barnt Green.
