MP Tom Morrison, Liberal Democrats asked Ashley Dalton, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Public Health and Prevention the following questions:
Question 1
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding his Department has allocated for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME) research in each of the last five years.
Question 2
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to establish a research hub to (a) coordinate research and (b) support early-career researchers working on ME and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.
Answered on 4th Sept (both questions received the same reply)
The Department funds research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). Between the 2019/20 and 2023/24 financial years the NIHR committed approximately £3.7 million to research projects and programmes on myalgic encephalomyelitis, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). The NIHR, alongside other Government research funders, remains committed to funding high-quality research to understand the causes, consequences, and treatment for ME/CFS..
Together with the Medical Research Council (MRC), which is part of UK Research and Innovation, we are actively exploring next steps in ME/CFS research, as outlined in the ME/CFS final delivery plan. This includes a new funding opportunity for a development award focussed on evaluating repurposed pharmaceutical inventions for post-acute infection syndromes and associated conditions, including ME/CFS. This funding opportunity is one component of our approach to improve the evidence around the diagnosis, management, and treatment of post-acute infection conditions, including ME/CFS. We are also planning an NIHR and MRC hosted showcase event for post-acute infection conditions research, including ME/CFS and long COVID, later this year to stimulate further research in this field.
MP Bobby Dean, Liberal Democrats asked Ashley Dalton, Health Secretary the following questions about Long Covid research and the Epsom and St Helier NHS Foundation Trust Service:
Question 1
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what research is being commissioned by the NHS into potential treatments for long covid.
Answered on 5th September
The Department funds research on health and social care through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). Between 2019/20 and 2023/24, the NIHR and the Medical Research Council (MRC), part of UK Research and Innovation, have jointly invested over £57 million into long COVID research with the aim of improving diagnosis and our understanding of the underlying mechanisms of the disease, as well as evaluating the effectiveness of pharmacological and non-pharmacological therapies and interventions, and clinical care.
The NIHR has awarded funding to a number of projects and programmes investigating treatments for long COVID. These have included clinical trials to test and compare different treatments such as antihistamines, anticoagulants and anti-inflammatory medicines. The Rehabilitation Exercise and psycholoGical support After COVID-19 InfectioN (REGAIN) trial, funded by NIHR, provided the first high-quality evidence confirming the sustained clinical benefit and lack of harm with rehabilitation programmes for long COVID. The NIHR has also provided £1.1 million in funding towards the Listen trial, which found that participants who received the Listen self-management tool intervention had greater capacity for daily activities, improved mental health, reduced fatigue impact and increased self-efficacy. However, there is more work to be done to find the most promising treatments and interventions, and we are actively exploring next steps for long COVID research.
Question 2
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to (a) reinstate and (b) establish dedicated long covid support services in St Helier and Epsom.
Answered on 5th September
The St George’s, Epsom and St Helier NHS Foundation Trust’s chronic fatigue service had a waiting list of 350 patients waiting 25 weeks or more for their first appointment. To manage this, the trust temporarily paused new referrals from June. During the temporary pause, the service will continue to care for existing patients. Any new patients who were referred before the pause will still be offered an appointment within 25 weeks.
The St George’s, Epsom and St Helier NHS Foundation Trust continues to keep this under review. Patients needing help should still visit their general practice if they are experiencing long COVID symptoms.
Further information
- The ME Association: New collaborative campaign launched calling for an ME/CFS, Long Covid and Post-Infectious Disease research platform | April 22, 2025
- GOV UK: Policy Paper: Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS): the final delivery plan | July 22, 2025
- The ME Association’s statement on the Government’s Delivery Plan on ME/CFS | July 22, 2025
- The ME Association: David Tuller interviews Dr Charles Shepherd about the new ME/CFS Delivery Plan | July 29, 2025
- The ME Association: Dr Charles Shepherd interviewed on BBC Radio Scotland about the new ME/CFS Delivery Plan | July 29, 2025