Mental wellbeing: an island perspective

Healthwatch Isle of Wight wanted to understand how people’s mental health had been affected during the Covid-19 pandemic. They wanted to identify gaps in mental health support and improve people’s access to services. They spoke to nine community groups and to people individually. They spoke to over 130 people.

During the course of the Covid-19 pandemic, community, faith and voluntary sector organisations stepped up almost overnight, to ensure local people were safe and able to access the vital services they needed. They instantly recognised the need to support people within their local communities to reduce the loneliness and isolation that the pandemic brought with it.

People said that they didn’t always feel listened to. One person commented that they were offered support in looking after a relative, but not the support they wanted and needed because services had not listened to what they said. Several people mentioned that they felt ignored and superfluous during the pandemic and felt as though they were just left to “get on with it” on their own.

Many people had been affected by bereavement during the pandemic. The restrictions placed on visiting people in hospitals and care homes and on the arrangements for funerals, had affected people deeply and still did so. Some people had lost several friends and relatives during covid and this impacted them emotionally and financially. One person described losing their business after a family bereavement.

Even at the end of 2021and the beginning of 2022, people said that they were struggling to pay for day-to-day basic expenses.

Unpaid carers felt particularly isolated during the pandemic acerbated during the pandemic when social contact was restricted and services were difficult to access. The covid pandemic added additional complexities for those unpaid carers who also worked. Trying to maintain their employment whilst keeping the person they were caring for safe, often proved difficult and stressful.

People were having difficulty in accessing services. They reported particular difficulties in getting through to some GP practices and in getting an appointment for themselves or the person they cared for. They also experienced difficulties in accessing other services, such as the IOW NHS Trust memory service and community mental health services. People reported being referred for services. When they received no contact, they rang the service only to discover that their referral had been refused.