Summary of report content
Healthwatch Cambridgeshire and Healthwatch Peterborough invited people from across the area to complete a survey to find out the impact of service changes on their health and care. The survey asked about:
- Health and care services they had experienced
- Information they needed to stay safe and well
- Help and support they had received.
- Any messages for local NHS and care staff and other key-workers.
Key findings included:
- Overwhelming support for NHS staff, care and other keyworkers.
- Mixed experiences of the changes to health services.
- Cancelled services and procedures led to uncertainty; people wanted better communication about their care.
- People were worried that delays would affect the progress of their illness and prognosis.
- Some people put off seeking help for their health because they feared catching COVID-19, did not want to bother staff, or thought the service they needed would be unavailable.
- People increasingly turned to their family, friends, neighbours and local communities for both practical and emotional support as other services shut down.
- Three quarters of the people who responded said their mental health or wellbeing had been affected in some way.
- 77% people were able to access information about keeping safe during the pandemic relatively easily; however some had little or no information about services available to them, and others found the information unclear.
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Network Impact
Relationships that exist locally, regionally, nationally have benefited from the work undertaken in the report
Implied Impact
Where it is implied that change may occur in the future as a result of Healthwatch work. This can be implied in a provider response, press release or other source. Implied impact can become tangible impact once change has occurred.
Tangible Impact
There is evidence of change that can be directly attributed to Healthwatch work undertaken in the report.