Experiences of lockdown: Birmingham and Solihull residents’ experiences of health and social care during the second national lockdown in England

Healthwatch Birmingham and Healthwatch Solihull wanted to hear about local people’s experiences of health and social care services during the second national Covid-19 (coronavirus) lockdown in England, which ran from November 2020 to January 2021. They heard from 364 people in an online survey.

While they heard about many good experiences of care, they also heard about:

• lack of availability of services across health and social care providers
• poor communication about delayed consultations, assessments and referrals
• requests for improvements to: – appointment booking systems – telephone consultations – in-person consultations – visits to GP premises.

What is clear is that the pandemic has brought huge changes to health and social care services. Many of these services are still experiencing extreme pressure, with demand exceeding services’ capacity to do the work. There is a high level of concern about the number of people whose treatments have been delayed due to the pandemic, many of whom have serious conditions such as cancer.

During the pandemic, Healthwatch Birmingham and Healthwatch Solihull have influenced and supported health and social care services to improve support for patients:

• they have helped two hospital trusts in the region to ensure that their communications with patients on waiting lists are clear, sensitive and appropriate for people’s needs
• The “GP Access in Solihull” report influenced changes in the use of digital technology and improved access to appointments

The report includes 5 recommendations about waiting lists, information to patients; digital healthcare; integrated care and support for carers.