Long Covid: Health Services
(asked on 18th February 2022) - View Source
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure equitable access to NHS long covid treatment across England.
Answered by
Maria Caulfield
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
Since November 2020, NHS England and NHS Improvement have invested £224 million to develop and deliver services for people experiencing persistent symptoms following COVID-19 infection, including 90 post-COVID-19 clinics. This includes £90 million for 2022/23. ‘Long COVID: the NHS plan for 2021/22’, published in June 2021, details a requirement to understand how these services are meeting the needs of local populations. The plan is available at the following link:
The ‘2022/23 priorities and operational planning guidance’, published in December 2021, details the requirement for integrated care systems to support primary care on the equity of access to ensure the most underserved populations are reached. The guidance is available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/2022-23-priorities-and-operational-planning-guidance/
NHS England and NHS Improvement have established a workstream on the long term symptoms of COVID-19 to understand the potential impact of health inequalities and advise on mitigations.