Growing numbers of long Covid sufferers are seeking help from a Highland oxygen therapy charity which itself takes a step towards recovery next week.
Almost 36% of new inquiries being received by The Oxygen Works in Inverness are from people living with long Covid.
Such is the demand, the charity is operating a waiting list for treatment for the first time in its near 30-year history.
The centre has the only oxygen chamber serving the central Highlands and uses hyperbaric oxygen therapy to help people with a variety of conditions.
Charity returns to full-time opening after flood
It is already being used by people to ease the symptoms of long Covid, including fatigue and breathlessness.
The rise in demand comes as The Oxygen Works prepares to return to five-days-a-week opening from Monday.
It recently opened part-time after a devastating flood forced it to close in February.
The charity’s chief executive Leigh-Ann Little said: “We are seeing a huge increase in demand for our services and I don’t think that’s going to go away soon.
“We have people with long Covid from all over Scotland looking for appointments.”
The centre is assessing the impact of oxygen therapy on people with the condition and is keen to feed into wider research.
“There is research going on into the specifics of how hyperbaric oxygen can help relieve long Covid symptoms”, Leigh-Ann says.
“This will also look at whether it goes beyond symptomatic relief and perhaps gets into the realms of providing some cure.
“We have 30 years’ experience of delivering hyperbaric oxygen. We provide it as a charity which makes it very accessible and very affordable.”
More awareness of oxygen therapy
She adds: “It opens up much greater potential for us to look for funding.
“The funding landscape was challenging pre-Covid and it’s possibly harder now.
“I think we have a real opportunity at the moment with the current interest in hyperbaric oxygen therapy.
“People have a bit more awareness now that oxygen is medicinal and it is a treatment.
“It’s a sad way to get people to understand the benefits we can help to achieve.
“But it’s good to know this non-invasive therapy is getting its turn in the spotlight.”
Leigh-Ann says many long Covid symptoms are similar to other conditions The Oxygen Works supports.
“We have a track record of providing that relief with neurological and other health conditions.
“So there is no reason why it should not be helpful for long Covid symptoms.
“We are very keen to work with the NHS to showcase how the support we deliver can be hugely beneficial, specifically in relation to hyperbaric medicine.”
But she says increasing demand needs to be managed for the eight-strong team with just two full-time employees.
Growth has to be sustainable
“We could very quickly become even more inundated than we already are with people self-referring.
“We want to make sure we grow in a sustainable way and do not overstretch.
“In the short term we would look to augment our opening hours and availability to support our clients.
“We would not be shy about going into a phase of recruitment and we have long-term development plans for a new centre for the Highlands.”
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy involves users breathing medical oxygen at higher than normal atmospheric pressure.
William Sutherland, 45, has been unable to work since February due to long Covid.
The Nairn builder is receiving treatment at The Oxygen Works. He previously made a 240-mile round trip to a facility in Wick to seek relief.
“I’ve been absolutely floored with this, to the point where it’s sore just standing doing dishes.
“I have a six-and-a-half-year-old son who wants to play all the time and I just can’t do it.
“It gave me back some energy that I’ve been lacking so much for so long.
William Sutherland
“If I walk a bit too much walk one day I can hardly get out of bed the next day.
“The first time I tried (the treatment) I noticed a massive difference straight away.
“It gave me back some energy that I’ve been lacking so much for so long.
“It’s definitely helping, but it’s not a miracle cure.
“I’m nowhere near being back fit, but it does help.”
Support for long Covid treatment
Lynne Dickson, a director of the charity, also uses the chamber to help with ME.
“This is the only thing that has made a big difference,” she said.
“I was in constant pain, but after my eighth session I had no pain whatsoever.
“It was very hard when the centre was not open.
“There are a lot of folk who missed it and are in desperate need to get back and improve their health.”
She supports the centre offering treatment to long Covid sufferers.
“It’s amazing for all sort of things, a huge variety of different illnesses.
“If it works for anyone who has long Covid it would be ideal for them.
“It keeps us busy, but it’s more important that people get the help they need if it’s suitable for them.
“The more people who try it and get benefit from it, the more the medical profession will hopefully see it is a benefit ad do a bit more research into it.”
Oxygen therapy ‘not part’ of government guidance
However, NHS Highland said it is following Scottish Government clinical guidance on treatment of Covid and oxygen therapy is not part of the guidance.
The Oxygen Works also provides physiotherapy, massage and reflexology to help with conditions such as multiple sclerosis, cancer, Parkinson’s and diabetes.
Pre-lockdown it had around 600 clients from across the Highlands, Aberdeen, Orkney and the Outer Hebrides.
It will resume full-time opening on Monday for the first time since the flood, caused by burst pipes, on February 14.
It caused the ceiling in the office and kitchen to collapse and destroyed floors, computers, files and phones.
There was never a doubt we would find a way to re-open.”
Leigh-Ann Little, The Oxygen Works
It was another setback for staff who hoped to re-open in March having closed during lockdown.
Leigh-Ann says the damage and disruption was greater than anticipated.
“It was hard to see the building the way it was.
“But the single most devastating thing was the impact on our clients.
“However, even when it got really tough, there was never a doubt we would find a way to re-open.”