Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 21 January 2021 to Question 135939, on Coronavirus: Medical Treatments, if he will ask the relevant bodies to examine the results of the trial by East Kent Hospitals into possible benefits for covid-19 sufferers of Sambucol Black Elderberry liquid; and if he will consult representatives of the National Institute of Medicinal Herbalists on the potential merits of herbal medicines for that illness.

The Department continues to monitor any new, high quality evidence from clinical trials on the effectiveness of different therapeutics for COVID-19 and works to ensure that any identified as credible or plausible are rapidly considered for entry into a United Kingdom priority platform clinical trial. Additionally, the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) secretariats are monitoring the evidence around nutrition and COVID-19 and are due to update the SACN at their next meeting in June 2021.

The Department does not maintain a position on any complementary or alternative medicine treatments. It is the responsibility of local National Health Service organisations to make decisions on the commissioning and funding of any healthcare treatments for NHS patients, taking into account issues around safety and clinical and cost-effectiveness. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence does not currently recommend that homeopathy should be used in the treatment of any health condition.