Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average waiting time is for a patient to be diagnosed with long covid within NHS Trusts in the South East.

Since November 2020, NHS England has invested £224 million for the treatment of people experiencing the long term effects of COVID-19. The South East has received approximately £25 million and 13 adult Post-COVID-19 clinics and two specialist paediatric hubs for children and young people have been established. NHS England’s South East regional team, also provides dedicated regional clinical leadership and resources to improve the quality and sustainability of these services.

Information on average waiting times is not held in the format requested. While information on activity and demographics of patients who have been referred to a post-COVID-19 assessment service in England has been collected since September 2021, the average waiting time for treatment following an initial specialist assessment is not held centrally.