Summary
The ME Association has signed an open letter, created by Long Covid Kids, urging the government to develop a long-term strategy for funding biomedical research and treatment for Long Covid in both adults and children.
The letter calls for a halt to the closure of Long Covid clinics and a commitment to long-term, effective care for Long Covid, M.E., and overlapping conditions.
The letter also advocates for better training of healthcare professionals and the expansion of specialist services to support individuals with these conditions.
The ME Association has signed an open letter to The Rt Hon Wes Streeting and Ashley Dalton MP at the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), calling for the government to:
Develop a long-term strategy to fund biomedical research, treatment, and monitor the wider impact of Long Covid and M.E. in adults and children, informed by lived experience.
Stop clinic closures and commit to long-term, effective care, support, and treatment for Long Covid, M.E., and overlapping conditions, grounded in robust biomedical research and co-designed with patients. NHS England has allocated funding to ICBs, but without accountability, services are being defunded despite ongoing need.
Train doctors and healthcare professionals to expand and sustain specialist services.
This open letter was created by Long Covid Kids, who have also created a petition which you can sign, calling for the government to make the same changes.
Open Letter Extracts:
Dear Dear Secretary of State and Minister Dalton,
We, the undersigned organisations, charities, and individuals – alongside more than 13,000 people who have signed our petition – are calling for urgent action to support the millions living with Long Covid and M.E. This includes over 100,000 children (1) affected by Long Covid in England and Scotland, and many more living with M.E., PoTS, and other related conditions.
Long Covid is part of a wider group of post-viral and immune-mediated conditions – including M.E./CFS, PoTS, and others – that sit within a spectrum of complex, often overlapping illnesses. Paediatric Long Covid is a newly recognised childhood disease, emerging since 2020, which demands urgent recognition, research, and individualised care.
This is not just a health crisis, it is an escalating economic and social emergency that affects children, families, and the wider workforce…
MEA Supporting Statement
The ME Association fully supports the call by the Long Covid patient community for more funding into the cause and management of Long Covid, an immediate halt to the closure of Long Covid clinics and proper training and education of all health professionals on the diagnosis and management of Long Covid.
Dr Charles Shepherd,
Trustee and Hon. Medical Adviser to the ME Association,
Member of the 2018-2021 NICE guideline on ME/CFS committee,
Member of the 2002 Chief Medical Officer's Working Group on ME/CFS
Charles Shepherd