Long Covid groups call for urgent action as Inquiry report confirms widespread and ongoing healthcare failings

PRESS RELEASE

19 March 2026

Long Covid advocacy groups today responded to the UK Covid-19 Inquiry’s Module 3 report on healthcare systems, saying its findings provide important validation for the experiences of the millions of people living with Long Covid.

However, the groups warned that many of the systemic issues identified in the report from the early years of the pandemic remain unresolved six years on, leaving large numbers of patients without adequate care or support.

The report confirms that:

• During the initial stages of the pandemic, the UK’s healthcare systems were not equipped to respond to long-term post-viral conditions.
  

• Most Long Covid patients were not able to access treatments.
  

• Many healthcare workers were exposed to significant risk, resulting in subsequent loss of lives and livelihoods.

Advocacy groups are now calling on the Government and devolved administrations to urgently address the ongoing failures in care. They warn that Long Covid remains a significant public health challenge, affecting millions today with new cases emerging with each new wave.

Validation of patient experiences

The Inquiry’s findings highlight several critical failings in the healthcare response to Long Covid:

• The vast majority of adults and children living with Long Covid were unable to access appropriate treatment or support.

  
  

• Few GPs felt adequately supported to diagnose or manage the condition, with many patients reporting that their symptoms were dismissed.

  
  

• Dedicated funding for Long Covid research ended in 2021, despite the continued prevalence of the condition.

  
  

• None of the four UK nations demonstrated an effective, coordinated response to long-term post-viral illness.

  
  

• Children and young people faced significant delays in recognition and extremely limited access to specialist care.

Long Covid continues to affect a significant number of people across the UK, with the latest ONS data showing over 2 million individuals are reporting ongoing symptoms (April 2024).

A framework for future care

The report identifies several evidence-based interventions that advocacy groups believe must be prioritised to improve patient outcomes and system resilience:

• Improving ventilation and implementing HEPA filtration across healthcare settings to prevent further transmission.

  
  

• Expanding the use of ‘one-stop-shop’ Long Covid clinics, which the report identifies as both clinically effective and a cost-effective model for the NHS.

  
  

• Ensuring future pandemic planning includes specific provisions for the long-term health impacts of viral outbreaks.

The Long Covid Groups also emphasise that further research funding is urgently needed, noting that the Inquiry’s findings add further weight to calls for sustained investment in Long Covid research.

Concerns over long-term accountability to the Long Covid community

While welcoming the Inquiry’s recognition of the impact of Long Covid, the groups expressed concern that Long Covid does not feature in the Inquiry’s primary recommendations, the mechanisms most likely to drive Government action and accountability.

They are calling on policymakers to ensure that the needs of people living with Long Covid are fully reflected in future healthcare policy, and that the findings of the report are translated into meaningful change.

Garry Loftus, healthcare worker and volunteer for Long Covid SOS, said:

“This report underlines the cost of not investing seriously enough in Long Covid research.

If that does not change, people will continue to be left without the diagnosis, treatment and support they need.

Sustained, dedicated research investment is essential to improve care and develop effective treatments.

As the report acknowledged: anyone who has had Covid-19 is at risk of developing Long Covid.

We cannot afford to wait any longer.”

Nigel Rothband, Chair of Trustees, Long Covid Support, said:

“The Inquiry’s findings lay bare just how badly people with Long Covid were let down during the early years of the pandemic. It is unacceptable that, six years on, many are still unable to access the diagnosis, treatment and support they need. We must now move beyond acknowledging past mistakes and focus on building a healthcare system that properly responds to this condition.”

Sammie McFarland, CEO, Long Covid Kids, said:

"The report highlights how children and young people with Long Covid were often overlooked, with delayed recognition and very limited access to care. For many families, this continues to have a profound impact on education, development and daily life, with many children still unable to access the care and support they need.

This acknowledgement must now translate into action. Children and young people cannot continue to be left behind, they need to be fully recognised and consistently supported across policy, research and services."

Professor Mark Faghy, Board Member at Long Covid Physio, said:

“The report highlights the need to better protect healthcare staff in future pandemics. It should also be a reminder that many staff and their families are still living with the consequences of the Covid pandemic. We call on ministers to now formally recognise Long Covid as an occupational disease and ensure proper financial support for those who can no longer work.”

Notes to Editors:

• Long Covid Kids, Long Covid Physio, Long Covid SOS and Long Covid Support are Core Participants in the UK Covid-19 Inquiry.

  
  

• The UK Covid-19 Inquiry Module 3 report on Healthcare Systems was published on 19 March 2026

  
  

• The Executive Summary states (p. 5):

“Long Covid is one of the direct long-term impacts of the virus. While the symptoms vary, for some people Long Covid can be life-changing. During

the pandemic, there were concerns about the length of time taken for sufferers to have their symptoms taken seriously and to be diagnosed. Access to healthcare for Long Covid has been and remains variable across the four nations, with each nation adopting its own approach about how best to provide care and treatment for Long Covid. Although research into Long Covid continues, it has been significantly scaled back while the need to develop a greater understanding of Long Covid remains.”

For further information or to arrange an interview, please contact: info@longcovidsos.org