Coronavirus: News from our partners – New report on the impact of lockdown on people’s wellbeing etc

News from our partners Healthwatch Shropshire 

During April and May 2020 Healthwatch Shropshire asked the people of Shropshire about how they were being affected by the pandemic, the impact on their wellbeing, how they were finding useful information, how they were being supported, what was helping them to cope and how their experience of health and social care services was being affected.

Over 550 people contacted them and now the final report is out.

The key messages are:

• An average of 93% of people said they had found it easy to find clear and understandable information about how to keep themselves and others safe.
• Key workers and people working during the pandemic reported a greater impact on their mental health and wellbeing than those not working.
• Overall, 40% of people said that their healthcare had been affected by the pandemic: this figure rose to 69% for those people with a disability.
• On average 10% of people using social care services said that their care had been affected by the pandemic; the highest figure being in May (16%).
• The main coping strategies people used included focusing on the positives, finding a new appreciation for their surroundings, staying active, getting outside, and maintaining contact with family and friends and wider support networks.

Lynn Cawley, Chief Officer, explained:-

“As we all started to work from home, we felt it was our responsibility to give people the chance to share their experiences during lockdown to help the health and social care system understand the impact locally, and identify any gaps in information and services they might be able to fill.

“At the beginning of lockdown we did not know what impact COVID-19 would have in  Shropshire and how challenging it would be for NHS and social care services, so we asked pen rather than direct questions to allow people to go into the detail they felt comfortable with. The majority of people recognised the challenges the pandemic placed on the system and told us that they valued the NHS and wanted to protect it.”

The report can be found here: https://www.healthwatchshropshire.co.uk/report/2020-07-07/health-care-and-well-being-services-during-covid-19-pandemic

Healthwatch Shropshire is the independent consumer champion for health and social care in Shropshire. It gathers the views and experiences of patients, service users, carers, and the general public about services including hospitals, GPs, mental health services, community health services, pharmacists, opticians, residential care and children’s services. It also has statutory powers that it can use to influence service provision by encouraging improvements.

Logo for Healthwatch Shropshire

Further information

Healthwatch Shropshire is one of a network of 148 Local Healthwatch in England. It is supported by a national organisation, Healthwatch England.

It has a team working in community engagement, plus a volunteer programme, a visit programme to health and social care premises and an associate membership scheme to involve the public in its work.  It also has a signposting service to help people access health and social care services and support.

Healthwatch Shropshire also provides the Independent Health Complaints Advocacy Service (IHCAS) for Shropshire. The IHCAS service provides information, advice and, if necessary, can support people through the NHS complaints process.

Tel: 01743 237884      Email: enquiries@healthwatchshropshire.co.uk

Website: www.healthwatchshropshire.co.uk

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