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 providing additional funding for UK-based bioscientific research into (a) the causes and (b) treatment of Long Covid.

The role of research and scientific evidence is pivotal in shaping our understanding of post COVID-19 syndrome and how it affects people. The National Health Service and wider scientific community are working at an unprecedented pace to better understand COVID-19 and the long-term health impacts it may have, and how best to treat and support those affected.

Over £50 million has already been invested in the long term effects of COVID-19 infection research projects to improve our understanding of the diagnosis and underlying mechanisms of the disease and the effectiveness of both pharmacological and non-pharmacological therapies and interventions, as well as to evaluate clinical care.

The National Institute for Health and Care Research and UK Research and Innovation’s Medical Research Council continue to welcome funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including post COVID-19 syndrome. Applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the topic’s importance to patients and health and care services, value for money and scientific quality.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence will continue to monitor the emergence of new evidence around the treatment of post COVID-19 syndrome and update guidance to reflect this.