AQW 15242/17-22

Ms Paula Bradshaw
Alliance Party
South Belfast

Tabled Date: 23/02/2021
Answered On Date: 09/03/2021
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Health what discussions he has had with the Minister for Communities concerning people who, on an ongoing basis, are unable to work due to long COVID.

Answer:

In December 2020 the National Institute for Care and Health Excellence (NICE) published a rapid guideline on managing the long-term effects of Covid-19. This indicates that symptoms after acute Covid-19 are highly variable and wide ranging.

This guideline has in turn informed initial work on development of services for the assessment of people who continue to experience long-term health effects as a result of Covid-19 infection. The Health and Social Care Board have developed an initial proposal which is being considered by my Department.

The issue of support for people who are unable to attend work is a matter for the Department for Communities with eligibility for financial support based on an individual’s level of restriction rather than the diagnosis of a particular condition