Current status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 23 March 2026
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment has been made of the impact of paediatric long COVID on paediatric health and social care services.
No central assessment has been made of the impact of paediatric long COVID on paediatric health and social care services. Responsibility for service delivery rests locally with NHS boards which configure services taking into account local circumstances and the reasonable needs of their patient populations.
We are providing £4.5 million funding to NHS boards on a recurring basis to support the delivery of specialist support for long COVID, Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME)/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) and other similar conditions. In allocating this resource, NHS boards have been asked to consider what would be needed to extend provision for these conditions to paediatric services if there is an identified need for this in their board. Boards have also been asked to consider how they may collaborate to provide a more efficient and effective service, whether this may be for the most complex cases and/or for specific populations e.g. paediatrics.