Scottish Government announces £10m fund to tackle long Covid

A £10m fund to help health boards respond to the impact of long Covid has been announced by the Scottish Government.

The fund has been designed to be flexible and is tailored towards local needs.

It comes after statistics published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) estimated that there were 74,000 people in Scotland living with self-reported long Covid.

Making the announcement of the funding, details of which will be shared with health boards “in due course”, health secretary Humza Yousaf outlined the complexity of the condition.

“We know that long Covid can’t be handled with a one-size-fits-all approach. It can be complex and involve an array of diverse symptoms and combinations of those symptoms,” he said.

“The new Long Covid Support Fund will give our NHS Boards the flexibility to design and deliver the best care for those with long Covid, tailored to the specific needs of their populations.”

Yousaf added: “Long Covid patients are being supported by the full range of NHS services – primary care teams and community-based rehabilitation services with referrals to secondary care where necessary – and I want to thank our dedicated staff for their hard work.”

Last month, Scottish Conservative MSP Dr Sandesh Gulhane called for the Government to consider establishing a network of specialist clinics to help treat long Covid.

Gulhane warned that the condition could threaten to overwhelm NHS services unless action was taken.