£10m long Covid fund completely unspent after six months

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader and health spokesperson Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP today said the SNP/Green Government has “yet again let down long Covid sufferers” as it is revealed that not a single penny of the £10 million announced by ministers last September has been spent.

On 9 September 2021, the Scottish Government announced the £10 million Long Covid Support Fund. 

Now a parliamentary question from Alex Cole-Hamilton and a freedom of information request have confirmed that the money remains entirely unspent. 

Alex Cole-Hamilton commented: “The latest official statistics showed a record are a record 119,000 long Covid sufferers in Scotland. The SNP/Green Government has let down every single one of them by failing to spend any of the £10 million it announced last September.

“Time and again I have pressed Nicola Sturgeon for answers on the absence of long Covid clinics, pressed for automatic referrals and urged the rollout of in-home support for sufferers. Now we’ve learned that none of the money announced more than six months ago has been spent.

“Long Covid sufferers need new hope. Scottish Liberal Democrats are determined to see the rollout of proper care. 

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Source: Scottish Liberal Democrats, 27 March 2022