Major concerns over funding and staffing of new ‘long covid’ clinics

There are serious concerns over the funding and staffing numbers available for new ‘long-covid’ clinics, while patient groups ‘remain in the dark’ over their locations.

Last month, NHS England announced there would be 40 clinics around the country, to start opening at the end of November, with £10m of funding to cover set-up and operational costs until March 2021.

But several speakers at HSJ’s inaugural virtual respiratory forum last week said there were still uncertainties and concerns about the capacity to provide the clinics.

Dr Jon Bennet, a respiratory consultant and chair of the British Thoracic Society, said staffing the respiratory rehabilitation services within the clinics would be challenging, as “there isn’t at the moment sufficient capacity”.

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Source: HSJ, 29 November 2020