Cost of living

Healthwatch Tameside conducted a survey to help assess the impact of the rising cost of living on the health and wellbeing of our local communities and whether it has affected how people use health and social care services in Tameside. 331 people completed the survey.

Over half of respondents cited issues such as deterioration in long-term conditions, new physical health conditions, and getting the right help, such as difficulties seeing a GP. T

hree in five stated that their mental health had got worse over the previous six months. This took the form of experiencing mental health issues for the first time, feeling stressed, anxious, having low moods, trouble sleeping or irritability. Existing mental health issues deteriorated as there were difficulties in accessing the right help, such as GPs, hospitals, and housing support. 

A few respondents had delayed asking for NHS help due to cost, not attended NHS appointments because they couldn’t afford to travel there, or had not booked an appointment because they couldn’t afford the internet or the phone call. 

Over a third of respondents had not gone to the dentist because of the cost of check-ups or treatment. Some respondents stated that they had not bought over-the-counter medication that they usually rely on or had not picked up an NHS prescription because of the cost, and a small number had reduced the use of medical equipment at home because of the running costs (e.g. ventilators or dialysis).

A very small number of respondents stated they had changed, cut down or stopped support from paid carers, whilst a larger proportion stated they had changed, cut down or stopped support from services that they pay privately for, such as toenail cutting, physiotherapy, chiropractic therapy and sports massage, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), psychology and counselling, speech and occupational therapy for children, and opticians. 

Some reported having to reduce or stop going to the gym or doing other exercise due to the costs (including travel costs), and 14% of respondents stated they had changed, cut down or stopped a special diet needed for a medical condition because of the cost. 

Over 80% of respondents confirmed that they had put on more clothes than usual to stay warm, had not turned on the heating when they usually would, or had gone somewhere warm out of the house to avoid putting on the heating. Lots of respondents had gone to bed early to save energy costs and had turned off or avoided using appliances to save energy costs, with many people switching to using air fryers or the microwave rather than the cooker.

Over 60% of respondents stated that they had reduced or changed how much food they eat and increased their use of budget supermarkets. Nearly one in five of respondents stated that they had used a foodbank, food pantry, etc. Some stated they had skipped meals so their children could eat. 14% of respondents stated they had not been able to afford to buy school uniform or shoes. 16% of respondents stated they had stopped their children attending activities/school trips because of the cost. 43% of respondents had cancelled or moved to a cheaper broadband or mobile contract, 7% of respondents had needed to find cheaper accommodation because they couldn’t afford the rent or mortgage, and 30% of respondents had gone into debt for the first time or gone further into debt.

45% of respondents had had unexpected costs they couldn’t find the money for, such as boiler and car repairs, household repairs and replacing broken furniture. Over half of respondents stated they had not travelled to see friends or family because of the cost. Almost three quarters stated they had cut down or stopped spending money on social events or entertainment. Over a third stated they had stopped volunteering or donating to charity due to the rising cost of living.