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Further to Parliament’s approval of the 2025-26 Scottish Budget on 25 February 2025, the Scottish Government has been engaging closely with NHS boards to support the allocation of resource for new specialist support for Long COVID, Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME)/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) and other similar conditions.

Boards told us that having funding only for a single financial year would be a barrier to their ability to develop new support. Therefore, following further assessment in line with Scottish Government spending controls, we wrote to NHS board Chief Executives on 18 September to confirm that this funding will now be made available on a recurring basis. This commitment provides the longer term assurance necessary to enable boards to plan on a sustainable basis, and support the recruitment and retention of the skilled members of staff required for the delivery of services.

NHS boards’ shares of the available 2025-26 funding will be allocated in full on a recurring basis. From the financial year 2026-27 onwards NHS Boards will receive the £4.5 million resource annually.

In 2025-26 the £4.5 million funding is being provided in addition to remaining resource of approximately £3 million from the £10 million long COVID Support Fund (established 2022). The £10 million fund will be fully disbursed by the end of the 2025-26 financial year.

A breakdown is as follows:

Since the question, S6W-00259, was answered in 2021, the Scottish National Centre for Craniofacial Surgery for Children & Young People in Glasgow has introduced craniofacial endoscopic strip craniectomy with helmet therapy.

Endoscopic strip craniectomy (ESC) is a minimally invasive surgical procedure offered as a treatment choice for children who meet specific clinical criteria presenting to the craniofacial clinic under 16 weeks of age. It is estimated that approximately 20 endoscopic procedures will be undertaken in Glasgow per year.

As a result of the introduction of ESC in Glasgow, NHS National Services Scotland’s National Services Directorate, who commission the craniofacial service, have no plans to review the pathway to Great Ormond Street Hospital for craniofacial therapy.

The referral pathway guidance was last revised in 2023, reflecting the changing landscape and improving specialist expertise within NHS Scotland, and the Scottish National Centre’s understanding of the need to operate within the critical window. This guidance is next due for review in July 2026.

We welcome the research undertaken by the Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland and Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland to provide insight in to the experiences of people impacted by long COVID. Scottish Government Officials met with both organisations at the time of publication to discuss the methodology and findings.

The reports highlight a range of themes, with a common focus on understanding of healthcare professionals, access to information and support for people presenting to primary care, and access to specialist services.

Since the research was undertaken, NHS National Services Scotland’s National Strategic Network for long COVID has supported the delivery of online education sessions for healthcare staff, including on the assessment of patients with long COVID. The Network has also developed information for NHS boards on the assessment of patients with suspected long COVID in general practice.

The 2025-26 budget includes new investment of £4.5 million to deliver new specialist support across the country for long COVID, ME, Chronic Fatigue, and other similar conditions. We wrote to NHS board Chief Executives on 18 September to confirm that this funding will now be made available on a recurring basis. This commitment provides the longer term assurance necessary to enable boards to plan on a sustainable basis, and support the recruitment and retention of the skilled members of staff required for the delivery of services.

NHS boards’ shares of the available 2025-26 funding will be allocated in full on a recurring basis. From the financial year 2026-27 onwards NHS boards will receive the £4.5 million resource annually.

In 2025-26 the £4.5 million funding is being provided in addition to remaining resource of approximately £3 million from the £10 million long COVID Support Fund (established 2022). The £10 million fund will be fully disbursed by the end of the 2025-26 financial year.

While the Scottish Government does not directly fund Fire Groups such as the South Grampian Wildfire Group (SGWG), it recognises the valuable work which such mutual aid organisations offer to support the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of wildfire suppression efforts.

The Scottish Government is working with SFRS to support full implementation of its wildfire strategy, which will see the continued roll-out this year of new equipment, vehicles and Personal Protective Equipment. The Service’s planned spend is circa £1.6 million over the course of the 3 year roll-out of its strategy and it will continue to invest in the training and upskilling of staff in the years ahead.

Scottish Ministers are holding a wildfires summit on 14 October to discuss improving our wildfire preparedness, prevention and response in the future.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information. You should request this directly from the Scottish Ambulance Service.

The most recent Data (2023-24) for those who received Free Personal and Nursing Care is contained in the Scottish Government website:

Introduction - Free Personal and Nursing Care, Scotland, 2023-24 - gov.scot

Data is captured at a specific moment rather than cumulatively.

Regional disparities are not as easy to identify due to diverse demographics, geography etc which make direct comparison difficult. This is compounded by the mixed returns from Local Authorities.

Free Personal and Nursing Care is a core part of the Scottish Government’s Health and Social Care strategy the funding of which is at a record level. Our 2025-26 budget is investing £21.7bn. including almost £2.2 billion investment for social care and integration, delivering on our commitment to increase social care spending by 25% over this Parliament, two years ahead of schedule.

NHS boards exercise responsibilities in relation to planning, commissioning and delivering healthcare services, and take overall responsibility for the health and wellbeing of the populations they serve. NHS boards are discrete legal entities and legally accountable and responsible for how they carry out their functions, services, duties and responsibilities.

The clinical guideline NG188 on managing the long-term effects of COVID-19 in all healthcare settings has been developed jointly by the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN), the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP). SIGN is editorially independent from Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS) and the Scottish Government. The decision to create, update or replace any SIGN guideline is not made by Scottish Government, it is made independently by the Evidence Directorate Work Programme Committee in Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS).

Scotland’s national health information service NHS inform contains information on common signs and symptoms associated with long COVID, when to seek further advice from a healthcare professional and testimony from people affected by long COVID about the impact it has had on their daily lives. The information was updated in November 2023 following user research with people living with long COVID. The information will be kept under review to ensure alignment with any future changes to clinical guidelines.

The Scottish Government is represented on the Strategic Oversight and Programme Board of the National Strategic Network for the Long-Term Effects of COVID-19. The Strategic Oversight and Programme Board provides oversight of the workplan and programme outcomes of the Strategic Network.

On 23 December 2024 the Network published an evaluation the University of Leeds was commissioned to undertake of patient outcomes in those accessing NHS long COVID clinical services in Scotland. Analysis showed patients reported that they got somewhat better in symptoms and abilities over the first six months. Despite improvements, many reported that they still had major health issues compared to before having COVID.

The report notes that long COVID can be a fluctuating condition, meaning there is not necessarily a linear trend of improvement or deterioration in the symptom burden, functional disability, and overall health of patients. Therefore, care needs to be taken in drawing any conclusions from changes in patient reported outcome measure scores, particularly when over a short space of time. The full report is accessible at https://www.nn.nhs.scot/longcovid/2024/12/23/elaros-data-report/