Review of 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. 

Patients who were under the care of a long covid hub should have been contacted by their hub team to let them know about these changes including, where appropriate, being sign posted to alternative services.

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
Information:

Further sources of information can be found on our long COVID support page.

Public engagement

NHS Cheshire and Merseyside has been involving the public, patients and staff in the review process. 

NHS Cheshire and Merseyside attended a number of local long COVID support groups to discuss the changes and understand more about what patients need to support their ongoing and future recovery. 

An online questionnaire was available for people to complete between 14 February and 16 March 2025. People could also request a paper copy of the survey, or in an alternative language or format.  You can read the report into patient questionnaire findings below.

The NHS Cheshire and Merseyside Board will be using the feedback received from the questionnaire and the information gathered during the public engagement to look at potential options on 29 May 2025.

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 receiving care from a clinical team should contact the team providing their care. If you are concerned about symptoms of long COVID, click here for advice.