Post-COVID Syndrome (PCS) Service

What is post-COVID syndrome?

Some people who contract COVID-19 will have ongoing symptoms of the illness for 4-12 weeks, known as long COVID. However, around one in ten people have persistent symptoms which last for 12 weeks or more. This is known as post-COVID syndrome (PCS), and it can have a serious impact on someone’s quality of life, their relationships and their ability to work.

Symptoms

There are a large number of symptoms associated with PCS. 

Some of the most common include:

• fatigue
• breathlessness
• headaches
• brain ‘fog’
• pain in the joints or chest.

PCS affects people of all ages, men and women. You don’t have to have had a particularly severe case of COVID-19, or have been hospitalised, to suffer long-term effects.

Do I have long Covid? Check if you have symptoms.

How can I get help?

If you have had symptoms of COVID-19 for four weeks or more, you should contact your GP to discuss a referral.

They will carry out a series of tests to rule out other causes for your symptoms. If you are suffering from chest pains or severe breathlessness, please contact your GP or NHS 111 as soon as possible.

What support does the PCS service provide?

Once referred, our staff will undertake a more in-depth holistic assessment of your symptoms and the impact these have on your life. Your case will then be discussed by the team to agree a personalised plan for you. You will then receive a letter/email of the outcome and be allocated a case manager to discuss your plan and oversee your care.

The team consists of occupational therapists, physiotherapists, psychological wellbeing practitioner, speech and language therapist and assessor case managers and is supported by a GP.

Self-care and support for long-term recovery

The service provides self-management advice and support and rehabilitation where necessary, to improve your recovery and symptom management. Our service provides rehabilitation for:

• respiratory physiotherapy
• speech and language
• psychological wellbeing
• brain fog
• fatigue management
• MSK physiotherapy
• signposting to vocational therapy (managing symptoms in work).

When appropriate, we may ask your GP to provide treatment for some symptoms or we may provide onwards referrals to services such as other NHS departments, Adult social care, community groups or external services that have arisen for people with PCS such as Ki Activ, The Hope Programme and the English National Opera - Breathe Programme.

The length of time and rehabilitation needed to recover from the virus will vary from person to person. It’s important not to compare yourself to others and on-going symptoms can last for several months after you contract COVID-19.