Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what support exists for children under 16 diagnosed with Long Covid.

NHS England has invested significantly in supporting people with long COVID. This includes setting up specialist long COVID services nationwide for adults, and children and young people, and investing in ensuring general practice (GP) teams are equipped to support people affected by the condition. Since April 2024, in line with the National Health Service operating framework and the establishment of integrated care systems, the commissioning of services to support patients with long COVID, including children, has been the responsibility of integrated care boards. Where local long COVID services are not available, children and young people with long COVID symptoms should see their GP, who will be able to refer them to alternative existing services depending on their clinical needs.

The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and the Medical Research Council (MRC), part of UK Research and Innovation, are committed to funding high-quality research to understand the causes, consequences, and treatment for long COVID.  This includes a new funding opportunity for a development award which is focussed on the feasibility of a phase 2 platform clinical trial that tests multiple repurposed pharmaceutical and/or non-pharmacological interventions for the treatment of myalgic encephalomyelitis, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome, and long COVID.

We have also funded research specifically focused on long COVID in children and young people, including the approximate £1.9 million CLoCk study jointly funded by the NIHR and the MRC. The study developed an agreed definition of long COVID in children and young people and associated symptoms, to improve understanding of the condition and help harmonise research.