Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of adopting the University College London recommendations of 15 July 2021 for a UK National Screening Programme for people with symptoms of long covid.

‘Long’ COVID-19 is a relatively new condition and we continue to learn more about the best way of providing support for people experiencing the long-term effects of infection. National Health Service guidance advises that those with long term symptoms should first contact their general practitioner to decide on the best care pathway, including whether a specialist assessment by a Post COVID-19 clinic is needed. These clinics offer a range of diagnostic tests to address the multi-system nature of ‘long’ COVID-19.