Chamber and committees

Thank you, cabinet secretary. I also want to thank you for yesterday’s update on the reallocation of unspent funds to 10 new projects that are being led by the third sector.

During the inquiry, the committee has been keen to hear from people with lived experience of long Covid; we have taken evidence from a lot of groups of people suffering from the condition and have received more than 500 responses from the general public to our call for views. I will share with you a comment from Jane Ormerod from Long Covid Scotland, who said:

“What the Government says is happening and the reality for people with lived experience do not match up. I agree that different things are happening in different health boards and that consistency is an issue. I know that everywhere is different and that the geography is different, but there needs to be overall consistency and shared principles of what that should look like in each health board”.—[Official Report, COVID-19 Recovery Committee, 9 February 2023; c 13.]

As we have gone through this inquiry, it has become evident to the committee that all the health boards are doing different things. I appreciate that some boards have experienced delays in recruiting to posts in order to implement pathways for taking care of people with long Covid, but are there any plans to develop guidance for NHS boards on specific pathways for people with the condition?

I move to my last question. I know that recruitment is a problem in the NHS at the moment. How can health boards be supported to recruit for long Covid posts, and to what extent would recurrent funding address the recruitment issues that health boards have highlighted?

I will stay with you for one final question, Dame Anna. What oversight has there been of how research funding across the UK has been allocated?

That is great.

I open up my next question to all the witnesses. If someone wants to answer, they can let me know by raising their hand, because, given that I am online, it is difficult for me to see who wants to answer.

Are you aware of any additional or on-going funding streams for long Covid research that could be utilised?

I know that we have run a bit over time but, if I may, I will ask a few more quick questions.

How is international research on long Covid being disseminated in Scotland? Dr Scott, you mentioned that issue.

Euan Dick, what level of research funding for long Covid is needed in the short to medium term?

Thank you very much. We will move to questions from members, starting with Murdo Fraser.

That is very helpful. I thank all the witnesses for their evidence and time. If any witness would like to provide further evidence to the committee, they can do so in writing. The clerks will be happy to liaise with witnesses on how to do that.

The committee’s next meeting will be on 16 March, when we will conclude our long Covid inquiry with the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care.

That concludes the public part of our meeting. We now move into private session.

I will ask a quick question, Dr Scott, regarding the STIMULATE-ICP programme, which I have not heard of before. You said that it is being rolled out in England. Is it being rolled out in Wales? The Welsh have a similar approach to the way that Scotland is doing things.

Good morning, and welcome to the sixth meeting in 2023 of the COVID-19 Recovery Committee. This morning, we will continue our inquiry into long Covid.

I welcome to the meeting Euan Dick, head of the chief scientist office; Professor Dame Anna Dominiczak, chief scientist for health at the chief scientist office; Professor Chris Robertson, professor of public health epidemiology at the University of Strathclyde; Professor Kay Cooper, clinical professor of allied health professions at Robert Gordon University and NHS Grampian; and Professor Edward Duncan from the Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health Professions Research Unit at the University of Stirling. Dr Janet Scott, who is a consultant in infectious diseases at NHS Highland and an affiliate senior clinical lecturer at the Medical Research Council-University of Glasgow centre for virus research, is joining us online. Thank you for giving us your time this morning.

We estimate that this evidence session will run up to about 20 to 11. Members will probably have about 12 minutes each to ask questions. As Janet Scott is attending the meeting remotely, she should type an R in the chat box, please, if she would like to respond to an issue that is being discussed, and we will bring her in. I am keen for everybody to get an opportunity to speak so, if time runs on too much, I might have to interrupt members or witnesses in the interests of brevity. I apologise in advance for that.

I ask the witnesses briefly to introduce themselves and the work that they have been doing. I will start with Dr Scott because, like me, she is online.