Update on Long Covid services

Long COVID services launched in 2020, to support patients who were suffering ongoing effects of the virus months after being infected, with symptoms including breathlessness, poor sleep, fatigue, a cough, or anxiety and low mood.

Dedicated national funding was allocated to run these services. In Cheshire and Merseyside, they are accessed through a GP referral, and provided through a number of hubs, run by the following trusts:

• Warrington and Halton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
• Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
• East Cheshire NHS Trust
• Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
• Wirral Community Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust
• Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust

During the 2022-23 financial year, 2,910 people in Cheshire and Merseyside were referred to these services, however based on recent figures, this has fallen by around 60%. At the end of December 2024, there were approximately 1,000 people on the case load across the six services.

Due to the significant drop in referrals, and as national funding is no longer ring-fenced for these services from 1 April 2025, NHS Cheshire and Merseyside is in the process of reviewing how long COVID support is provided in the future. We want to find the most effective way of supporting people with long COVID, while ensuring that we make the best use of NHS resources. Part of the review will include exploring if long COVID support could integrate with other existing services that meet the needs of people with similar conditions. 

Current long COVID hub arrangements will end, meaning that these services are no longer taking referrals. While the wider review is underway, GPs will refer patients to alternative services, depending on their clinical needs – further details are provided below. 

Next steps

While we conclude this review, new patients who are assessed by their GP as needing long COVID support will be referred to other existing services relevant to their clinical need.

We understand that these changes might cause concern to those using current long COVID hub services locally. All patients who are currently under the care of a long COVID service will be contacted direct by the trust providing their care, to let them know what will happen next. Individual patients will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis, with those who require ongoing care transferred to the appropriate clinical service(s).

Examples of alternative services (dependent on individual patient need) include:

• Talking therapies
• Pain management services
• Respiratory/Pulmonary rehabilitation services
• Community therapies, such as occupational therapy and physiotherapy
• The ME/CFS (myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome) service

Referrals can also be made to: 

• Other specialties, including cardiology, rheumatology, gastroenterology, neurology
• Local wellbeing and support organisations
• Local social prescribing services

There are also a range of national support organisations which can be accessed through the following links:

Find help and support if you have long COVID - GOV.UK

Long COVID SOS Resources

Health and care Apps library (search for ‘long COVID’)

Public engagement

NHS Cheshire and Merseyside will be involving the public, patients and staff in the review process. You can share your views and experiences by completing this questionnaire.

If you’d like help completing the questionnaire or would prefer a paper copy, you can get in touch using the details below.

You can also use the above contact details if you require the information in alternative formats or languages.

NHS Cheshire and Merseyside also plans to attend local Long Covid support groups to discuss the changes and understand more about what patients need to support their ongoing and future recovery. In addition to those linked to local NHS services, NHS Cheshire and Merseyside will also be seeking to engage with any wider community groups which support people with long COVID.

NHS Cheshire and Merseyside will provide further updates on the review as it progresses. If you have any further questions in the meantime, please contact enquiries@cheshireandmerseyide.nhs.uk People who are currently registered with a long COVID hub should contact the team providing their care.