How we will do the study

The STIMULATE-ICP-DELPHI study looks at optimal care for long COVID and other long-term conditions. With a panel of experts with lived and professional experience of long COVID and a range of other long-term conditions, we ran two surveys to collect information from people across the UK about what integrated care for long COVID and other long-term conditions should look like.

305 people responded to the first survey: 47% were women, people were aged between 21 and 75, living across the UK and were from a range of ethnic groups. Many people reported having multiple relevant experiences: 224 had lived experience of long COVID; 123 had lived experience of long-term condition; 35 were healthcare professionals supporting people with long COVID; and 61 were healthcare professionals supporting people with long-term conditions. Survey respondents told us what they felt integrated care should look like.

We organised the information collected from survey 1 and, with the help of our expert panel, used the survey responses to create a series of statements about what integrated care should look like. We then launched a second Delphi survey for people across the UK to find out whether these statements are considered to be appropriate and relevant.

197 people responded to the second survey: 60% were women, people were aged between 18 and 74, living across the UK and were from a range of ethnic groups. This survey asked people to indicate whether they agreed with a series of 15 statements about what care for Long COVID and long term conditions should include. After indicating whether the statements were important, each person was asked to put the statements in order of priority form them (1 being the most important statement, 15 being the least important).

This second survey has now closed and we have analysed the data. This information was presented to an expert panel of patients and healthcare providers for Long COVID and Long-term conditions, as well as charities and other stakeholders, to develop policy recommendations for healthcare providers supporting people with Long COVID and other long term conditions.

A final meeting of the expert panel took place in February 2023 to agree the policy recommendations from this work. Those final recommendations for this project will be shared with healthcare providers, commissioners and policy-makers to shape future care for long COVID and other long-term conditions.

What stage is the project at now?

Currently we are putting the policy recommendations together and will publish them.