Your health and wellbeing in the COVID-19 pandemic: Hospital Services

Healthwatch Tower Hamlets undertook research on local people’s experiences of hospital services during the Covid-19 pandemic. They received 354 survey responses and analysed a further 12 comments specifically relating to hospital services, exploring experiences of urgent care, inpatient treatment, outpatient services and maternity care during the first national lockdown. 

Patients who had been admitted to hospital with Covid-19 generally reported positive experiences and praised the care provided by doctors and nurses. Families valued efforts by hospital staff to maintain contact through video calls and other remote communication. However, some people expressed concern that non-Covid patients had been discharged prematurely, while others reported cancellations of planned procedures and investigations, leaving them uncertain about their health and future treatment. 

Experiences of outpatient services were mixed. Many patients were positive about telephone and online consultations and felt these worked well for routine reviews and ongoing conditions. However, others felt remote consultations had limitations and reported difficulties obtaining information, communicating with specialists and understanding the impact of cancelled appointments. Concerns were also raised about delayed treatments, postponed operations and a lack of clear communication from hospitals about service changes during the pandemic. 

The report also highlighted disruption to maternity services, with some pregnant women reporting difficulties contacting midwifery teams, receiving antenatal support and obtaining reassurance about the impact of Covid-19 on pregnancy. Overall, the findings suggested that while the quality of care provided by hospital staff was widely praised, service disruption, communication challenges and uncertainty about postponed treatment were significant concerns for patients during the pandemic.