Post Covid Assessment Service (PCAS)

Contact Number: 01908 752959

Our face-to-face appointments take place across 3 sites:

Whaddon Medical Centre, 25 Witham Court, Tweed Drive, Bletchley, MK3 7QU

Water Eaton Health Centre, Fern Grove, Bletchley, MK2 3HN

Bromham Surgery, (De Parys Group branch), Molivers Lane, Bromham MK43 8JT. The surgery and car park are located behind the Fish n' Chip shop.

• Vicky Kettle – Community Services Manager
• Dr Andy Potter – Luton and Milton Keynes Based GP Clinical Lead
• Jennie Harmsworth – Lead Respiratory Physiotherapist
• Hayley Hilmy – Occupational Therapist
• Helen Howe – Respiratory Nurse
• Vicki Wilson – Lead Oxygen Nurse 
• Ruth Thomas – Lead Respiratory Nurse  
• Angel Stenton – Community Care Co-ordinator
• Sarah Francis – Community Administrator

Who We Are and What We Do

PCAS stands for the Post-Covid Assessment Service and covers patients living (and with their registered GP) in Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes.

Whaddon Healthcare works in partnership with the BLMK to provide patients a Post Covid Assessment Service for those diagnosed with Long Covid. 

Our team of clinicians provide an assessment and support service. This includes working together to agree on care pathways, manage capacity for appointments and waiting times.

Your GP or hospital specialist can refer you to the PCAS. We ask your GP to make sure certain tests have been done such as a chest X-ray and certain bloods tests before your referral. This is rule out medical problems that can mimic Long covid. 

Once your GP has referred you to the PCAS, we review your GP record (as long as you have given consent for your medical information to be shared) which helps us determine which further tests you might need. At this point we may ask your GP to do some basic tests including blood tests before we see you, if they have not already been done. On receipt of referral, we send a letter explaining the role of the PCAS and advising you are on the waiting list for an assessment.

Our first aim is to make sure there is no damage to organs such as your heart or lungs and then help guide you to recovery by either directing you to other services or referring you to other specialists. We are not commissioned to provide ongoing and long term follow up; this can be done through your GP.

Within the service, we can arrange specialist tests on your heart and lungs, such as echocardiography, ECG monitoring and spirometry. We have a team of Clinicians including GPs, Specialist Nurses, a Respiratory Physiotherapist and Care Coordinator. If we feel you need more advanced testing or specialist review, we will refer you directly without you having to go back to see you GP.

We can offer face to face appointments or telephone appointments. These will be booked at a time that suits you.

How to Access our Service

Your GP or hospital specialist can easily refer you should you to PCAS should you suffer with long covid symptoms for over 12 weeks, they will also request a base line blood test and chest xray.

Once you have been referred to PCAS you will be contacted by one of the PCAS team to arrange your initial appointment with one of the clinical team.

What is Long Covid?

Long covid (otherwise called “post covid syndrome”) is a varied condition that effects people in many ways and often varies from day to day.

It is defined as a collection of symptoms that have develop since catching covid and remain for more than 12 weeks.

How common is Long Covid?

It is difficult to give an accurate answer to this question. Research in the UK suggests the prevalence (the number of new patients effected in a given time) is anywhere between 2% and 30% of those who catch covid. It is more difficult to give a direct answer to this with the different coronavirus variants and the impact of vaccination. At this point, there is some early research suggesting those who are vaccinated and go on to catch coronavirus are less likely to develop long covid.

Why does someone develop Long Covid?

The factors which increase someone’s risk of developing long covid are unclear. Some research has suggested that factors such as older age, obesity and diabetes increase the risk. However, our experience tells us this is often not the case. It does not really seem to be related to how ill you were when you caught covid – many of our patients did not need to go to hospital and are much more severely affected by long covid than the initial illness.

How you felt and how you rested might play a part. We see many patients whose whole family was infected at the same time, yet they are the only one with long covid. There is ongoing research to try and work out what leads to long covid. It could be your immune system is over activated by the virus which causes microscopic damage (that cannot be picked up on blood tests or scans) to different parts of the body cause the wide range of symptoms people experience.

What are the common symptoms of Long Covid?

Over 200 different symptoms have been reported by patients. Commonly symptoms are unpredictable and can varied daily. Some symptoms might disappear randomly to be replaced by new ones. We tend to see problems with breathing, ongoing fatigue with “brain fog” and heart symptoms (such as palpitations and chest pain) as the three most common symptom groups. Headaches, dizziness, ringing in the ears, rashes, aches, and pains, tingling and pins and needles as other symptoms. It is also very common to feel overwhelmed and upset with what is happening to you. Many people feel frustrated and anxious about the length of their recovery and focus on what they can no longer do.

What can help me with the symptoms of Long Covid?

As more people are seen in long covid clinics, we learn more about the best ways of treating symptoms, helping guide recovery. Certain conditions such as headache and palpitations can respond to medications, but many symptoms need other therapy. Breathlessness, even without damage to the lungs, is very common and can be treated with physiotherapy. Fatigue can be debilitating and can have a huge impact on your life. Our fatigue service can offer assessment and support management to help this recover; they have seen lots of patients getting better with their help. Many patients feel lost and upset and talking therapies can help exploring your thoughts, feelings and emotions which can help some people break down some barriers to recovery.

What can family, friends and employers do to help?

Sufferers of Long Covid can experience a wide range of fluctuating symptoms that can have a big impact on their lives. Naturally this will often affect their family, friends, loved ones, their work and hobbies that make them the person they are. This can be really hard, but families, friends and work colleagues are vital in helping recovery. A supportive and non-judgemental attitude is really helpful. Many of the symptoms of long covid are hidden and this can lead to some people feeling they are not believed or taken seriously. Kindness, empathy, and an understanding of how much their life has changed really helps. We recommend a very slow and cautious return to work, especially working from home if possible. This makes it much easier to pace activities. We are happy for family members to sit in on the assessment if this is helpful to understand the illness.

Long Covid Recovery

NHS England - https://www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/post-covid-syndrome-long-covid/

NHS Cambridge University Hospital Breathlessness, Fatigure and anxiety management - https://www.cuh.nhs.uk/patient-information/covid-19-rehabilitation-breathlessness-fatigue-and-anxiety-management/

British Heart Foundation - https://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/heart-matters-magazine/news/coronavirus-and-your-health/long-covid