MacLean, AliceHunt, KateBrown, AshleyEvered, Jane ADowrick, AnnaFokkens, AndreaGrob, RachelLaw, SusanLocock, LouiseMarcinow, MichelleSmith, LorraineUrbanowicz, AnnaVerheij, NienkeWild, Cervantee2023-05-152023-05-152023-06-01MacLean, A, Hunt, K, Brown, A, Evered, J A, Dowrick, A, Fokkens, A, Grob, R, Law, S, Locock, L, Marcinow, M, Smith, L, Urbanowicz, A, Verheij, N & Wild, C 2023, 'Negotiation of collective and individual candidacy for long Covid healthcare in the early phases of the Covid-19 pandemic : Validated, diverted and rejected candidacy', SSM - Qualitative Research in Health, vol. 3, 100207. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssmqr.2022.100207ORCID: /0000-0002-8109-1930/work/124674797https://hdl.handle.net/2164/20725Funding sources: UK authors were supported by grants from Scotland’s Chief Scientist Office (AM, KH, AB, LL) [grant number COV/LTE/20/04] and NIHR (AD, KH, CW) [grant number COV-LT2-0005]. US authors [JE, RG] were supported by a University of Wisconsin-Madison Department of Family Medicine and Community Health small grant. This project was also made possible by the University of Wisconsin-Madison Institute for Clinical & Translational Research (ICTR) with support from NIHNCATS Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) [grant number 1UL1TR002373] and a strategic grant from the UW SMPH Wisconsin Partnership Program [grant number (WPP 4358]. Dr Evered was additionally supported by the University of Wisconsin-Madison Department of Family. Medicine and Community Health Primary Care Research Fellowship [grant number T32HP10010] from the Health Resources and Services Administration. Australia: The project was partly funded by a RMIT Vice-Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Fellowship [no number for funding]. Canada: Unfunded pilot study (conducted using internal resources). Netherlands: Research was funded by ZonMw [grant number 10430302110002]. Acknowledgements We would like to thank all of the participants who took part in the interviews, especially as many of our participants were still very affected by their long Covid symptoms and had limited physical and cognitive resources. We would like to thank the funders of our research (listed below) and our colleagues at the Health Experiences Research Group in Oxford. Thank you to Professor Sue Ziebland, Professor Sarah Nettleton for comments on an earlier draft, and Professor Trish Greenhalgh and an anonymous reviewer for their helpful observations.11734519engSubstantive connection via an eligible employment contractLong CovidCandidacyHelp-seekingPatient experienceCross-national comparisonCovid-19R MedicineChief Scientist Office (CSO)COV/LTE/20/04COV-LT2-0005Supplementary DataRJournal article10.1016/j.ssmqr.2022.1002073