In this position statement, the Australian Physiotherapy Association recommends publicly-funded treatment and investment in multidisciplinary teams, including physiotherapists, to manage long COVID and prepare for future health emergencies.

Key recommendations:

• Recognise long COVID as a distinct medical condition that requires the appropriate publicly funded access to treatment
• Recognise that the role of physiotherapists during the coronavirus pandemic has been vital and that physiotherapists are delivering vital health services in rehabilitation during the acute phase of COVID-19
• Provide patients with funded long COVID access to physiotherapists as part of a multidisciplinary care team
• Fund integrated care clinics to include qualified physiotherapists who play a vital role in treating patients with conditions affecting the heart and lungs and specialise in chronic respiratory and other long-term conditions
• Urgently plan and invest in multi-system integrated team health care that includes specialist therapies to successfully transition patients from acute to post-acute care, and support them through their rehabilitation