Current status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 21 October 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-40202 by Neil Gray on 25 September 2025, how long it gave NHS boards to submit bids for the newly announced recurrent funding for specialist support for long COVID, myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome and other similar conditions.
NHS boards were contacted on 10 January 2025 inviting feedback by 22 January on activities which could be delivered and supported by single-year funding of £4.5 million allocated on a non-recurring basis in the financial year 2025-26. A further opportunity to provide feedback was provided on 29 January with feedback invited by 4 February.
To enable a case for multi-year funding to be considered, on 2 May NHS boards were requested to provide by 16 May an indicative multi-year proposal covering the financial years 2025-26, 2026-27 and 2027-28. Responses beyond this date were accommodated in instances where NHS boards indicated that additional time was required.
On 6 August NHS boards were requested to provide finalised versions of the indicative proposals supplied in May. Boards were provided with the option of two deadlines for returns, 18 August and 11 September.
The Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care wrote to NHS Board Chief Executives on 18 September to confirm that NHS boards’ shares of the available 2025-26 funding would be allocated in full on a recurring basis. These shares were reflected in NHS boards’ allocation schedules for September 2025.