Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to resume referrals from GPs to (a) Kings College Hospital Trust and (b) Guy’s & St Thomas’ Hospital for treatment of long covid; and for what reason South East London clinical commissioning group made the decision to pause acceptance of referrals.

In response to a surge in COVID-19-cases, Kings College Hospital NHS Trust temporarily suspended all non-urgent outpatient services, including post-COVID-19 services. These services are expected to reopen shortly. Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust also temporarily suspended post-COVID-19 services, which have now re-opened.

Treatment for patients already in the post-COVID-19 pathway was not paused and continued in the community or in acute services as required and virtual follow-up appointments were maintained.