Healthwatch in Sussex: Restoration and Recovery Programme

Healthwatch Brighton & Hove, East Sussex and West Sussex have issued an interim report on research they have undertaken about people’s experiences of digital healthcare during the Covid-19 pandemic, to inform the development of service redesign.  This is based on a number of surveys, with a combined 2,185 responses.

Nearly two in five respondents chose not to make an appointment during the pandemic despite having a need to access health, social or emotional care. People with disabilities were more likely to delay appointments compared to people without disabilities. During the pandemic, nearly two-thirds of people had a phone appointment, nearly a quarter using online appointments and one in ten video appointments.

For those that had phone, video and online appointments during the pandemic, satisfaction levels were high. For triage, GP, medication, test results and emotional and mental health NHS wellbeing support (including counselling and therapy), people were keener to have phone appointments rather than video and online. Nearly three in ten didn’t want remote emotional and mental health NHS wellbeing support, including counselling and therapy, and over two in five for NHS mental health support for longstanding and serious mental health conditions.

People with disabilities were less likely to want any form of remote appointment compared to people without disabilities. Younger people were generally happier to have phone, video and online appointments compared to older people.