Summary
- Jo Platt MP raised concerns about support for people with Long Covid, particularly regarding the closure of Long Covid clinics, on March 3rd.
- Ashley Dalton, Under-Secretary for Health, stated that the NHS offers services for post-COVID syndrome, providing physical, cognitive, and psychological assessments, with referrals to other services as needed.
- From March 2024, responsibility for commissioning post-COVID services transferred to local integrated care boards (ICBs), with funding allocated similarly to previous years to minimise disruption.
- NHS England has worked with the British Society of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine to create a Clinical Post-COVID Society for sharing best practices and supporting people with Long Covid.
On the 3rd of March, Jo Platt, MP and Chair of the APPG for ME and for Long Covid, asked the following question regarding support for people with Long Covid. On the 11th of March, Ashley Dalton, MP and Under-Secretary for the Department of Health and Social Care, answered.
Question from Jo Platt MP
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to supporting people with Long Covid in the context of the closure of Long Covid clinics.
Answer from Ashley Dalton (DHSC)
Across the National Health Service in England there are services supporting people with post-COVID syndrome, also known as long COVID. These services offer physical, cognitive, and psychological assessment, and, where appropriate, refer patients onto existing services for treatment and rehabilitation. Further information can be found on NHS England’s website, at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/post-covid-syndrome-long-covid/
The commissioning of post-COVID services transitioned from the long COVID national programme to local integrated care boards (ICBs) at the end of March 2024. Funding for post-COVID services in 2024/25 was expected to be allocated based on the previous distribution for 2023/24, to minimise disruption to funding flows and maintain services.
NHS England has published commissioning guidance for post-COVID services which sets out the commissioning and service requirements and the oversight of post-COVID services by the ICBs in England for adults, and children and young people (CYP). It outlines the elements that post-COVID services should comprise of and the principles of care for long COVID, and is available at the following link:
There is specific advice for general practitioners to manage long COVID. Patients should be managed according to current clinical guidance, such as that published and updated by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network, and the Royal College of General Practitioners, which is available at the following link:
https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/NG188
Primary care plays a key role in the long COVID clinical pathway, in considering and excluding potential other causes of symptoms and in determining the appropriate management of symptoms and the timing of onward referral to post-COVID services, if appropriate. A post-COVID-19 syndrome diagnostic pathway, the criteria for referral to post-COVID services, and separate adult and CYP pathways are outlined in the commissioning guidance to help provide consistency of delivery and to improve patient experience.
Not all people who report long COVID symptoms will require assessment in a post-COVID assessment service. For example, some of the most common symptoms may still not warrant a specialist assessment as people can benefit from self-management advice, including from the NHS website. Some people may be seen in other disease-specific pathways, depending on their individual circumstances.
NHS England has recently completed a long COVID and myalgic encephalomyelitis, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), stocktake, which aimed to provide a nationwide overview of service delivery in commissioning and contracting, assessing access, activity, and outcomes. The findings confirmed widely recognised challenges, specifically significant variation in care delivery across England, and a lack of comprehensive activity data.
Executive NHS England board members were updated on the current provision of long COVID and ME/CFS services, noting those challenges. Discussions considered service prioritisation and potential COVID Inquiry recommendations. It was agreed that long COVID and ME/CFS services are rightly commissioned by ICBs, which have responsibility for ensuring coverage for their population.
Furthermore, to support clinical leadership in this area, NHS England has worked in partnership with the British Society of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine to develop a new Clinical Post-COVID Society to facilitate the ongoing sharing of best practice, to support people affected by long COVID. Further information about the society is available at the following link:
MEA Comment
The MEAs Health and Social Care Team has been working with clinicians in England and in Wales who have been charged with producing integrated services i.e., producing a service that is compliant with NICE Guideline recommendations and is able to serve the needs of local people with ME/CFS and Long Covid.
In England, this is against a background of threatened Long Covid clinic closures and the potential loss of experienced clinicians. Around 20% of ICBs in England have approved the development of integrated services. The work we have been doing with the Department of Health on the Delivery Plan also involves a review of existing service provision and the development of a national strategy that we hope will encourage ICBs to ensure that suitable provision is sustained.
We will provide further updates as and when we next meet with the DHSC and NHSE.
Russell Fleming
Head of Project Development,
The ME Association
More Information
- The MEA writes to Ashley Dalton MP – the DHSC minister in charge of the DHSC Delivery Plan | March 12, 2025
- Daily Mail covers Long Covid clinic closures | September 30, 2024
- North East London’s Long Covid service to close | February 25, 2025