Dozens of healthcare workers with long Covid are bringing their fight against the NHS and other employers for compensation to the High Court today.

Staff across England and Wales believe they first caught Covid while at work during the Coronavirus pandemic, where they claim they were not properly protected against the virus.

Now, they say they have been left with life-changing disabilities which have detrimentally impacted their lives, careers, and caused them to lose income. 

They are trying to sue their individual employers, which are mostly NHS Trusts, and are hoping to get some compensation for the injuries they have suffered.

The High Court hearing, which is the first stage in this process, is due to take place today which the group hopes will lead to a full trial in 2025/2026.

Pictured: Rachel Hext, 36, (pictured) says she lost her career on the back of the Covid pandemic and 'loved her work' as a nurse in a small community hospital in Devon

Pictured: Rachel Hext, 36, (pictured) says she lost her career on the back of the Covid pandemic and ‘loved her work’ as a nurse in a small community hospital in Devon 

The group of 70 healthcare workers say they were not given adequate PPE (personal protective equipment) while at work, including gowns, eye protection, aprons and gloves.

They claim they should have been able to access masks that block droplets in the air when someone coughs or sneezes, but instead they were given masks which were generally in line with national guidance.

Rachel Hext, 36, says she has lost her career on the back of the Covid pandemic and ‘loved her work’ as a nurse in a small community hospital in Devon.

Speaking to the BBC about her condition she said: ‘It’s devastating. I live an existence rather than a life. It prevents me doing so much of what I want to do.’

Rachel suffers from extreme fatigue, nerve damage, deafness in one ear and brain fog as a result of catching long Covid. 

Pictured: Rachel Hext is one health worker trying to sue her employer for compensation

Pictured: Rachel Hext is one health worker trying to sue her employer for compensation

According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), an estimated 1.9 million people living in private households in the UK were experiencing self-reported long COVID as of March 5, 2023.

Long Covid adversely affected the day-to-day activities of 1.5 million people, with 381,000 reporting that their ability to undertake their day-to-day activities had been ‘limited a lot’.

Peter Easton, 41, loved running before the pandemic and would often take part in half-marathons or 10k races.

Peter Easton, 41, (pictured) loved running before the pandemic and would often take part in half-marathons or 10k races

Peter Easton, 41, (pictured) loved running before the pandemic and would often take part in half-marathons or 10k races

Now, he told the BBC: ‘I get up, I take the kids to school. I come home and I sit on the chair with a heated blanket on my legs. 

He added: ‘That’s it. That’s my life. I’ve tried going back to work. I just can’t.’ 

He told the BBC he feels a chunk of his career has been robbed from him.

Julie Taylor, 45, was a community nurse in Hull and said she used to do 12 gym classes a week but now considers herself to be disabled.

Julie Taylor, 45, was a community nurse in Hull and said she used to do 12 gym classes a week but now considers herself to be disabled

Julie Taylor, 45, was a community nurse in Hull and said she used to do 12 gym classes a week but now considers herself to be disabled

She told the BBC the group were ‘not protected while on the frontline’ and wants an acknowledgement of this, as well as an apology.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: ‘Throughout the pandemic the government acted to save lives and livelihoods, prevent the NHS being overwhelmed and deliver a world-leading vaccine rollout which protected millions of lives across the nation.

‘We have always said there are lessons to be learnt from the pandemic and we are committed to learning from the COVID-19 Inquiry’s findings which will play a key role in informing the government’s planning and preparations for the future. We will consider all recommendations made to the department in full.’

Post source: Daily mail

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