Post-COVID Syndrome (PCS) Service
Following a review of the Dorset Post-COVID service provided by Dorset HealthCare, NHS Dorset has made the decision to discontinue it in its current form and to support patients in other ways.
The service is now closed to new referrals while we make sure we see all of the patients currently using and referred to the service.
We will complete assessment, diagnosis and any identified treatment for all current patients and they will be discharged from the service by 30 June 2025.
We have written to all patients about their discharge from the service and signposted to the extensive self-management resources for patients here on our website.
If you have continuing symptoms following a bout of COVID-19 please contact your GP, who will be able to help you to find the right support from other services.
For patients already referred to the service, we provide specialist support for people who have on-going symptoms of COVID-19 for 12 weeks or more, known as post-COVID Syndrome (PCS). The most common symptoms include:
- fatigue
- breathlessness
- headaches
- brain fog
- pain in the joints or chest.
If you have had symptoms of COVID-19 for 12 weeks or more since having a suspected or positive COVID-19 infection, you should contact your GP surgery.
Your GP will carry out a series of tests to rule out other causes for your symptoms.
For patients already referred to the service, our staff will carry out a more in-depth assessment of your symptoms and the impact these are having on your life. This will usually be carried out over the telephone or occasionally online.
Your symptoms and difficulties will then be considered by a team of healthcare professionals who will recommend an appropriate course of action for you. We will take a holistic approach which will involve supporting you to self-manage your condition or we may signpost you to other services for specialist advice or treatment.
Recovery takes time and there is still a lot unknown about the mechanisms of infection and recovery. While the service is aware of new developments due to research around the world, we are not able to offer these new investigations or treatments until they are advised by the National Institute for Health and Care Research and NHS England.
Check if you have symptoms of PCS/ Long Covid: Do I have Long Covid? – Supporting Long Covid Care (long-covid-care.org.uk)