What changes do people in Lincolnshire want to see made to their NHS?

Earlier this year local Healthwatch across England asked residents 'What would you do' to improve your NHS. In Lincolnshire, over 400 people shared their views about the changes local people would like to see. Take a closer look at what they said.
A doctor helps an older man with information

Why shouldn’t care be the same throughout the country?

Lincolnshire resident

How many people spoke up?

Over 400 people reshared their ideas and experiences online and at events as part of Healthwatch Lincolnshire’s ‘What Would You do?’ campaign.

The campaign encouraged people in the county to share their views about how extra money from the Government should be spent on local NHS services.

The findings reveal many people are struggling to get to hospital appointments because of an increase in more distant NHS services, combined with the lack of good public transport and road links.

More needs to be done to improve access

More needs to be done to improve access to local NHS services – according to hundreds of people who shared their views.

Here are some of the comments made by Lincolnshire residents:

“There’s no local support in my rural coastal community, I have visited the mobile Macmillan unit which is an hour away to get [cancer] advice and support. This isn’t good, just four weeks after breast surgery.”

— Lincolnshire resident

There are many autism support groups in the ‘County Town’ of Lincolnshire and therefore inaccessible if you happen to live at one end of the county - it’s not always easy or possible to access a nearer service in a neighbouring county.

Lincolnshire resident

“Lincolnshire is very rural, and care is very sketchy, some excellent, some not so much. We struggle to get an appointment at the GP surgery and it’s difficult accessing services. We feel second class citizens compared to the bigger towns. Why shouldn’t care be the same throughout the country?”

— Lincolnshire resident

It is not possible to travel more than 30 mins because of disability, pain and mobility issues. I was recently offered a quick hospital appointment for cardiology that was over 1 hour away, with no direct bus or train route to it.

Lincolnshire resident

Read the report in full

Take a look in detail at what the resident of Lincolnshire would like to see made and the response from the regional STP.

Read the report