The Patients Association: Pandemic Patient Experience II (29 April 2021)

Summary

In the Patients Association 2020 survey, patients told us about their experiences of living with health and care needs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Their testimony painted a bleak picture in many ways. This follow-up survey finds that many aspects of their experiences are not much better, and some are worse.

Content

The survey draws on 453 responses, submitted over February, March and early April 2021, during which time lockdown restrictions began to ease, and the rollout of COVID vaccines gathered pace.

The vaccination programme in particular was a bright spot: patients mostly felt well informed and were easily able to make appointments, although a minority had less smooth experiences. Feedback on vaccination appointments was overwhelmingly positive.

However, accessing GP services remains difficult for many, and patients overall do not regard remote consultations as an adequate replacement for in-person appointments. The Patients Association are calling for the NHS to restore face-to-face consultations as the default form of GP appointment, and supporting HealthWatch England’s call for a wider review of GP access.

The survey also found that patients who shielded mostly did not do so in line with NHS advice, but used their own judgement about whether and when to shield.While there was a range of views about the overall handling of the pandemic, it tended towards the negative.