Healthwatch COVID-19 Intelligence Update

Community response

• Local Healthwatch continue to signpost people to services for help with getting food and medication deliveries. We are also now working with both local Healthwatch and NHSE colleagues to use data from the volunteer responders programme to understand where local volunteer responses are meeting needs and where efforts should be concentrated to boost referrals for the national system.
• Many local Healthwatch are highlighting the impact of the lockdown on people’s general mental wellbeing – particularly for those who live alone and/or have limited access to technology. Questions have been raised about whether an additional investment will be made in mental wellbeing services to help meet increasing demand and whether or not the community responders can assist here.

Primary care

• Whilst we continue to receive mixed feedback about how helpful people are finding their GP surgeries at this time, since the previous update we have received more positive feedback about the growing use of digital and telephone systems that are in place.
• We have heard that some pharmacies won’t let people make card payments over the phone. This is an issue for those self-isolating who are not exempt from paying for prescriptions, resulting in the transfer of cash which is being avoided wherever possible in other areas.

Shielding communications

• People continue to be confused about whether or not they should have received a shielding letter. We have also heard that some people have received text messages advising them to shield, but are unsure as to why, where this message has come from, what they should do and whether they should still expect a letter. This feedback is continuing well past the revised deadline for local services to have sent out letters, so may need to be addressed in the broader communications.

Access to services for non-COVID-19 issues

• People also continue to raise queries and concerns about the services they would usually access, and what they should do or expect now. In particular, people continue to ask how they can access emergency dental care. After conversations with NHSE, we have now provided local Healthwatch with the contact details of their regional NHSE leads for the urgent dental care service, and we understand more centres came online last week. However, we will continue to track feedback on this issue. Due to the number of urgent dental centres, it is highly likely that in some areas of the country people will have to travel long distances to access care.
• We have heard from people who are struggling with pain management, as they are unable to access their usual exercise activities (e.g. swimming), or their planned treatment, scans and operations have been cancelled.
• We have also heard that some people with mental health conditions are struggling to get the support they need to help them cope. Cancellations are reportedly having a disproportionate impact on these service users. There also seems to be high levels of anxiety about what happens if repeat prescriptions are not available.
• On cancer care, people have raised concerns about the way cancellation/delays to treatment are being communicated. For example, receiving letters telling them their treatment is deemed “non-urgent”. This is offending the person involved, as having cancer is an urgent problem to them. Poorly worded communications are exacerbating the stress placed on patients at this time.
• We have heard of hospitals closing entrances to maternity wards and asking new and expectant parents to come in via the main entrance with all other people. This is raising anxiety about the risk of infection. In other areas though, such as cancer care, we have heard about hospitals splitting services and sites into COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 areas. However, this has not been communicated widely as the NHS promotes that is still open for business.

Transport

• Access to hospital appointments that are going ahead continues to be an issue when the transport options available to people are reduced or inappropriate – especially for those that are shielding. This is a current challenge but also needs serious consideration as the lockdown is lifted. How will we continue to provide transport support to shielding patients if they have to travel with increasingly mixed groups of people?

Social care

• Concerns about social care are ongoing – particularly about people who rely on home care and care home residents getting the support they need.
• A new issue raised this week has been the impact of the rising number of deaths on older people’s mental health. The number of deaths in some homes has been so high that residents and staff report that it is difficult to process the enormity of what is happening. The NHS should think about extending mental health support to care homes that are severely affected.
• Local Healthwatch continue to highlight the impact of changes to social care provision on family carers – particularly for those caring for people with mental health conditions or dementia. We have seen day care services cancelled, for example, due to social distancing rules. This means the drop in care provision has happened before the care act easements have come in, meaning it risks falling under the radar.

PPE

• Worries about the inadequate provision of PPE continue and have been reported by people surrounding a wide range of services, including dentistry, care homes, community nursing, home care, and for volunteers and staff from community organisations.

Praise for services

• We continue to hear how much people appreciate health and social care professionals when they or their family receive great care at this time.

Have you more feedback to share about what is happening locally? Then please complete our COVID-19 survey which is asking for your views on how the pandemic has affected your experience of accessing health and care services.