Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what financial support (1) the Department of Health and Social Care, and (2) other government departments, have provided towards research into Long Covid.

Answered by Lord Markham - Shadow Minister (Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Department for Health and Social Care funds research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The Department of Science, Innovation and Technology funds research through UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and the Medical Research Council (MRC). Collectively, over £50 million has already been invested in long-COVID research projects to improve our understanding of the diagnosis and underlying mechanisms of the disease and the effectiveness of both pharmacological and non-pharmacological therapies and interventions, as well as to evaluate clinical care.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government when they made the decision to set up specialist Long Covid clinics; how many have been established; and what estimate they have made of the number of (1) adults, and (2) children, who have been treated in that specialist setting.

Answered by Lord Markham - Shadow Minister (Science, Innovation and Technology)

We recognised post COVID-19 syndrome as a valid medical condition in June 2020, when guidelines were issued to the National Health Service on the long-term healthcare needs of COVID-19 patients. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence created a clinical definition for the condition, publishing the ‘COVID-19 rapid guideline: managing the long-term effects of COVID-19’ in December 2020. A copy is attached. Post COVID-19 syndrome is a complex condition, affecting multiple systems within the body. Commonly reported symptoms include fatigue, shortness of breath, cognitive impairment and muscle pain. Further symptoms associated are set out in the guideline attached.

The establishment of specialist Post COVID-19 clinics was announced in October 2010. There are currently 101 specialist services for adults and 13 for children and younger people.

NHS England publish information on referrals of people aged 16 years old and older to post COVID-19 services in England. In the period 5 July 2021 to 7 May 2023, there have been 96,898 accepted referrals, 87,663 initial assessments and 263,166 follow up appointments.

No recent estimate has been made of the number of people who have contracted or have lasting disabilities as a result of contracting Post COVID-19 syndrome.

The latest estimate from the Office of National Statistics is that for the four week period ending 5 March 2023 1.9 million people, 2.9% of the population, in private households in the United Kingdom reported experiencing post COVID-19 symptoms.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government when they recognised Long Covid as a valid medical condition; and what (1) physical, and (2) psychological, symptoms comprise its characteristics.

Answered by Lord Markham - Shadow Minister (Science, Innovation and Technology)

We recognised post COVID-19 syndrome as a valid medical condition in June 2020, when guidelines were issued to the National Health Service on the long-term healthcare needs of COVID-19 patients. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence created a clinical definition for the condition, publishing the ‘COVID-19 rapid guideline: managing the long-term effects of COVID-19’ in December 2020. A copy is attached. Post COVID-19 syndrome is a complex condition, affecting multiple systems within the body. Commonly reported symptoms include fatigue, shortness of breath, cognitive impairment and muscle pain. Further symptoms associated are set out in the guideline attached.

The establishment of specialist Post COVID-19 clinics was announced in October 2010. There are currently 101 specialist services for adults and 13 for children and younger people.

NHS England publish information on referrals of people aged 16 years old and older to post COVID-19 services in England. In the period 5 July 2021 to 7 May 2023, there have been 96,898 accepted referrals, 87,663 initial assessments and 263,166 follow up appointments.

No recent estimate has been made of the number of people who have contracted or have lasting disabilities as a result of contracting Post COVID-19 syndrome.

The latest estimate from the Office of National Statistics is that for the four week period ending 5 March 2023 1.9 million people, 2.9% of the population, in private households in the United Kingdom reported experiencing post COVID-19 symptoms.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of (1) adults, and (2) children, who have contracted Long Covid.

Answered by Lord Markham - Shadow Minister (Science, Innovation and Technology)

We recognised post COVID-19 syndrome as a valid medical condition in June 2020, when guidelines were issued to the National Health Service on the long-term healthcare needs of COVID-19 patients. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence created a clinical definition for the condition, publishing the ‘COVID-19 rapid guideline: managing the long-term effects of COVID-19’ in December 2020. A copy is attached. Post COVID-19 syndrome is a complex condition, affecting multiple systems within the body. Commonly reported symptoms include fatigue, shortness of breath, cognitive impairment and muscle pain. Further symptoms associated are set out in the guideline attached.

The establishment of specialist Post COVID-19 clinics was announced in October 2010. There are currently 101 specialist services for adults and 13 for children and younger people.

NHS England publish information on referrals of people aged 16 years old and older to post COVID-19 services in England. In the period 5 July 2021 to 7 May 2023, there have been 96,898 accepted referrals, 87,663 initial assessments and 263,166 follow up appointments.

No recent estimate has been made of the number of people who have contracted or have lasting disabilities as a result of contracting Post COVID-19 syndrome.

The latest estimate from the Office of National Statistics is that for the four week period ending 5 March 2023 1.9 million people, 2.9% of the population, in private households in the United Kingdom reported experiencing post COVID-19 symptoms.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of people with lasting disabilities as a result of contracting either (1) COVID-19, or (2) Long Covid.

Answered by Lord Markham - Shadow Minister (Science, Innovation and Technology)

We recognised post COVID-19 syndrome as a valid medical condition in June 2020, when guidelines were issued to the National Health Service on the long-term healthcare needs of COVID-19 patients. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence created a clinical definition for the condition, publishing the ‘COVID-19 rapid guideline: managing the long-term effects of COVID-19’ in December 2020. A copy is attached. Post COVID-19 syndrome is a complex condition, affecting multiple systems within the body. Commonly reported symptoms include fatigue, shortness of breath, cognitive impairment and muscle pain. Further symptoms associated are set out in the guideline attached.

The establishment of specialist Post COVID-19 clinics was announced in October 2010. There are currently 101 specialist services for adults and 13 for children and younger people.

NHS England publish information on referrals of people aged 16 years old and older to post COVID-19 services in England. In the period 5 July 2021 to 7 May 2023, there have been 96,898 accepted referrals, 87,663 initial assessments and 263,166 follow up appointments.

No recent estimate has been made of the number of people who have contracted or have lasting disabilities as a result of contracting Post COVID-19 syndrome.

The latest estimate from the Office of National Statistics is that for the four week period ending 5 March 2023 1.9 million people, 2.9% of the population, in private households in the United Kingdom reported experiencing post COVID-19 symptoms.