Hospital Waiting Times

Healthwatch County Durham wanted to understand people's experiences of hospital wait times and how this had impacted on them.  They created a survey to which 43 people responded.

Key findings

Wait times are varied and can be extensive for some people. There is a lack of communication about the length of time a person might wait. Only a quarter of respondents knew they had a right to choose an alternative hospital if their local hospital couldn’t treat them within 26 weeks, highlighting the lack of choice and information being offered to patients.

 There is also a lack of information regarding their position in the queue, and how long they should expect to be waiting. This lack of knowledge increases stress and anxiety and decreases a person's overall well-being. There is also a lack of support and information about maintaining their condition while they wait or what to do if there are any changes or a decline in their condition. 

Most people in the survey were not in a financial position to pay for treatment from a private provider. However, for those that can, some have, and some are considering paying privately to reduce the waiting time, exposing the inequalities in access to healthcare for those with less financial income. 

The concern people face whilst waiting for care was emphasised by the number of people who stated they would be willing to travel in order to receive their care sooner, even considering travelling across England to reduce the wait. 

People have been impacted across all areas of their lives whilst waiting for their care, particularly their mental health and well-being which have been greatly affected. This is a real concern as not only could this be hindering the individual's quality of life currently but also go on to impact their recovery after the care they are waiting for.