Dr Gilbert has since been diagnosed with illnesses including long Covid and ME, which is also known as chronic fatigue syndrome. He is now seeking medical retirement from his job and struggles to see his children. "Being a dad was always the most important part of my life and I feel like I've lost that," he said. "I feel like I'm not the parent I want to be and I'm not the partner I want to be. "I can't do any of the things I want to do in the wider world either – being a friend, being a son, being a doctor." A government spokesperson said: "We are committed to ensuring there are quality services across the country for people suffering with long Covid, which we know can have a debilitating impact on people's physical and mental health. "NHS England has rolled out a range of support for staff with long Covid and other conditions. "No single treatment currently exists for the condition, which is why we are funding research into it. "We are also joining up health and employment support so people with long term conditions can stay in work and get back into work." LINK
Tearing down societal barriers to being able to work is a good thing, but you have to be pretty tone deaf or ignorant if that’s what you propose as a solution for something like post covid ME/CFS.
Wessely is chummy with Jon Ashworth and of course came to prominence during the Blair years so its perhaps not surprising that the government seem to be following the BPS 'acknowledge it but play it down and publically fence sit on whether its physical or mental whilst acting like is mental' playbook.
I do hope the government spokesperson was simply asked for a generic comment on a Long Covid story. If they were asked to comment specifically on a story about someone who is bedbound and too sick even to see their children, and responded by saying that people like this should be in work, it indicates a disconnection from reality that is terrifying not only for people with Long Covid and their families but for the entire country.
How is government committed to ensuring quality services when they’ve given ICBs free rein to commission or not ( as with m.e) and 1/2 of existing services have been cut in the past year ?
Ontario Premier Doug Ford when asked about ODSP(Ontario Disability Support Plan) provincial supports in Canada, “Healthy young people that are sitting on the couch watching Flintstones, they should be out there, they should be working” Totally out of touch.
