The public experience: Delays to treatment
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Healthwatch North Yorkshire undertook a pulse report to understand people’s experience of delays to treatment/care as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. They heard from 104 people.
Mental health, GP services, COVID and care have been highlighted as some of the priority issues facing people across North Yorkshire. Unfortunately, services are perceived as being worse or the same as before COVID. The issues raised appear to be even more severe for those with protected characteristics such as older people, those with learning disabilities or mental health issues.
The waiting time for treatment varies, but some people have been waiting for up to or over a year and this has severely impacted their mental health. However, no mental health or emotional support has been received by those waiting for treatment in this sample. The continued delays to treatment have resulted in some people either paying for private care or travelling to receive care.
At the end of the survey we provided people with the opportunity to express any additional comments about the health and care services across North Yorkshire. The main topics raised were access to dentistry and hospital care- including delayed discharge and lack of communication between the patient’s relatives and the hospital.