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 12 June 2025 to Question 56537 on Long Covid, how many long COVID clinics are operational in (a) Fylde constituency and (b) Lancashire; and he plans to open further clinics in 2025.

Since April 2024, the commissioning of long COVID services has been the responsibility of local integrated care boards, following the closure of the national long COVID programme. For the Fylde constituency and Lancashire more widely, this is the Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB).

From 1 May 2025, the long COVID services in Lancashire and South Cumbria will no longer be commissioned as stand-alone services. These services have now closed to new referrals, and the way in which patients with long COVID access support will change.

This decision was taken by the ICB on 26 March 2025 due to a significant drop in referrals, and a change to the national funding from 1 April 2025.

The average number of referrals per month over the last 12 months across Lancashire and South Cumbria was 47. This is in comparison to an average of 72 referrals per month in 2023, 146 per month in 2022 and 172 per month in 2021.

Anyone currently accessing the long COVID service in Lancashire and South Cumbria will be contacted directly by their provider to let them know what will happen next and how they can continue to be supported.

People with long COVID symptoms should see their general practitioner, who will be able to refer them to alternative existing services depending on their clinical needs.