Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to increase provision of specialist chronic fatigue syndrome services to meet demand for these services from people living with long covid.

COVID-19 is a new disease and therefore it is not yet clear what the medical, psychological and rehabilitation needs will be for those experiencing long-term effects of the virus. In October 2020, NHS England announced a £10 million investment in their five point plan to support people with ‘long’ COVID-19. As part of this investment, 69 post-COVID-19 assessment service centres are now operational across England to assess people with long-term effects of COVID-19 and to direct them to effective treatment pathways. A further 12 long COVID-19 assessment service centres are expected to launch in early 2021

Care for people with chronic fatigue syndrome and myalgic encephalomyelitis is a local matter commissioned by local primary, community and secondary care services via clinical commissioning groups (CCGs). CCGs are best positioned to understand and provide for the needs of local populations.