Health and wellbeing during COVID-19

Healthwatch East Sussex launched two surveys to explore the direct and indirect impacts of the lockdown, social distancing measures and changes to services on people’s health and wellbeing during May and June 2020. One survey was focused primarily at adults, with a shorter parallel version focused at engaging with children and young people aged between 11 and 18 years of age. The aim of the surveys was to capture a snapshot of people’s experiences, both positive and negative, and share these with service providers and partners across East Sussex to inform the COVID-19 response, but also to identify any longer-term effects resulting from the crisis. The surveys ran in web-based and hard copy format and a total of 2,179 responses were received to both surveys – 1,209 to the main survey and 970 to the CYP survey.

Healthwatch East Sussex found that lack of direct contact with family and friends was identified in both surveys as the most common issue having the greatest impact on daily life from COVID-19 and social distancing restrictions. This was identified by just over half of those responding (56.9%). In both surveys, access to healthcare services, concerns about the future, getting COVID-19 and education were also major concerns. The most commonly identified experience that respondents had ‘more often’ since the COVID-19 outbreak was ‘connected with people virtually’ which was identified by 1,417 (65.0%) respondents. The next most common responses were ‘felt anxious about the future’ (1,382 – 63.4%) and ‘used social media’ (1,248 – 57.3%). 

The issue the greatest proportion of respondents to the main survey were ‘most anxious’ about was ‘Becoming seriously ill with COVID-19’ (485 – 40.1%). The second most frequent response was ‘Impacts on family and friends outside my household’ (453 – 37.5%) and third was ‘Catching COVID-19‘(369 – 30.5%).  The most common issue identified by respondents to the main survey as making it challenging to seek help or support was ‘challenges in accessing services as they were before’ (177 – 14.7%), with 70 respondents (5.8%) ‘Not seeking help or support to avoid bothering anyone’.