To ask the Minister of Health (i) for an update on the anticipated roll-out of support services for those with long-COVID; and (ii) to detail the various services that will be made available.

Work is progressing on the implementation of services for the assessment and treatment of post-Covid-19 services, in line with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance.

In June, I approved a 5 strand model of service provision which features:

Post COVID-19 Syndrome patients referred by primary or secondary care to a one-stop-shop MDT assessment service;

Bespoke pulmonary rehabilitation / dysfunctional breathing service for patients with significant respiratory symptoms post COVID-19;

Additional support for patients discharged from critical care (both COVID-19 and non-COVID-19);

Strengthening psychology support to all Trusts; and,

Signposting and access to self-management resources.

It remains our aim to establish services by the end of October 2021. We are working to ensure that the services will be in place across all Health and Social Care Trusts and that they will be open to referrals from both primary and secondary care. In the meantime, patients displaying long COVID symptoms will continue to be treated via existing services in both primary and secondary care.