Pandemic had ‘devastating and lasting’ impact on clinically vulnerable patients, finds report

Covid affected physical and mental health for many of more than four million people advised to shield, writes Tom Batchelor

Clinically vulnerable patients found it harder to access health services at the start of the pandemic as hospitals prioritised care for Covid patients, the research suggests (AFP via Getty Images)

The pandemic has had a “devastating and lasting impact” on the more than four million people who were identified as being clinically extremely vulnerable and asked to shield as the virus tore through communities across the UK, a report has found.

Researchers said that clinically extremely vulnerable people experienced a higher rate of deaths compared to the general population – and that the mental and physical health implications are still being felt today.

The higher risk of complications from Covid was compounded by a reorganisation of NHS services in the early stages of the pandemic which led to significant unmet health needs and worsening mental health among this group, research by the Health Foundation’s Networked Data Lab found.