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NHS waiting times and lost referrals leave millions suffering with mental health – public put in charge of driving solutions

  • New figures reveal 39% of Brits have felt low, stressed and anxious due to NHS waiting times and lost referrals
  • One in three (33%) say they haven’t had the right support to treat a health issue for themselves or a loved one
  • For the first time, a group made up of the public and frontline workers will come together to create people-led policies to solve Britain’s big problems, starting with the NHS

A new survey today reveals up to 39% of Brits have felt low, stressed or anxious as a result of problems they have experienced with the NHS.

Charity Engage Britain and BritainThinks carried out a survey of 3000 adults. It showed over the last five years Brits have struggled with their mental health and wellbeing because they didn’t know how long they would need to wait to see their GP (30%) or get hospital treatment (23%); or because a referral for treatment had been lost (19%). One in five (21%) also said they felt anxious about getting the NHS support they need in an emergency.

For the very first time, Engage Britain has set up a group made up of members of the public and frontline workers, to help improve problems in the NHS. Over the coming months they will work together to create new ‘people-led’ policies based on people’s real life experiences.

Previous research from Engage Britain showed the overwhelming majority of the public (92%) feel lucky to have the NHS. But while Brits are very grateful for the service, new data shows one in three (33%) say themselves or loved one haven’t got the support they needed when seeking treatment for a health issue.

Case study: Ever since Allie, 33 from Sheffield, was diagnosed with endometriosis she’s struggled with the long waits to get the treatment she needs. 

Allie says: “I just don’t think doctors understand the impact having endometriosis has on every aspect of your life. From being able to perform day to day tasks, being able to work and managing the side effects of medications. 

“When I was told I needed surgery I had to wait four months for a face-to-face appointment. On the day, I was told it would be six to nine months before I got the surgery. I was in huge pain and that thought was horrendous. He suggested instead I could go on medication to put me into a chemically induced menopause. I said I didn’t know much about it and it sounded quite scary. I asked for more information and support and got sent away with a leaflet.

“I felt so lost. The lack of support, the waiting times, having to fight to get support were all making me feel anxious and depressed. There were times I could barely get out of bed.”

Engage Britain’s health and care programme director Miriam Levin said: “We’ve heard hundreds of stories from people up and down the country of how grateful they are for the NHS – but the reality is millions are still being left feeling helpless and uncertain. From people suffering while they wait in pain for treatment to the frustration of lost referrals, it can also leave them feeling low, anxious and lost at sea. 

“We need a completely new approach to helping the NHS recover from the unprecedented pressure of the pandemic – change will only come by finding solutions based on people’s real experiences. We’re urging the government to expand its promise of reform by listening to the people who use or work in the NHS every day.”

Anyone who wants help create people-led policies for the NHS and social care can join Engage Britain’s health and care community to feed in their ideas, knowledge and personal experiences.

ENDS

Notes to editors

Case studies and spokespeople available on request.

Media contact: Freya Barnes, Head of Media (0203 953 6329)

Methodology 

  • Survey commissioned by Engage Britain and conducted by BritainThinks to investigate people’s health and care priorities and assess the resonance of the final conclusions by the People’s Panel. It was a nationally representative survey of 3027 adults. Online fieldwork was undertaken 26-31 January 2022. Data weighted to be representative of the UK population by age, gender, region, socioeconomic grade, and ethnicity.
  • 39% of people surveyed responded “Yes – me” to at least one of three questions asking about feeling low, stressed or anxious as a result of their experiences with NHS healthcare. Based on the latest ONS mid-year population estimates, which put the adult population of the UK at 52,890,044, we calculated that this means around 20.6 million adults have experienced feeling low, stressed or anxious as a result of one or more of these experiences with the NHS.
  • The survey asked, ‘In the last five years, have you or someone else in your immediate family experienced any of the following: Seeking treatment for a health issue without getting the support you needed?’ 22% people said ‘Yes – me’; 16% people said “Yes – a family member”; 33% said “Yes – me”, “Yes – a family member” or both; 60% said no; 5% said don’t know; and 2% preferred not to answer.
  • The survey asked, ‘In the last five years, have you or someone else in your immediate family experienced any of the following: Not knowing how long you will need to wait to see your GP – causing you to feel low, stressed or anxious?’ 30% people said ‘Yes – me’; 19% people said “Yes – a family member”; 41% said “Yes – me”, “Yes – a family member” or both; 54% said no; 4% said don’t know; and 1% preferred not to answer.
  • The survey asked, ‘In the last five years, have you or someone else in your immediate family experienced any of the following: Not knowing how long you will need to wait for hospital treatment – causing you to feel low, stressed or anxious?’ 23% people said ‘Yes – me’; 21% people said “Yes – a family member”; 39% said “Yes – me”, “Yes – a family member” or both; 56% said no; 3% said don’t know; and 2% preferred not to answer.
  • The survey asked, ‘In the last five years, have you or someone else in your immediate family experienced any of the following: Feeling low, stressed or anxious whilst waiting for hospital treatment because you weren’t sure if your referral had been lost?’ 19% people said ‘Yes – me’; 15% people said “Yes – a family member”; 30% said “Yes – me”, “Yes – a family member” or both; 65% said no; 4% said don’t know; and 2% preferred not to answer.
  • A 2021 survey commissioned by Engage Britain and conducted by Yonder. It was a nationally representative survey of 4,010 adults. Online fieldwork was undertaken 5-8 July 2021. Data weighted to be representative of the UK population by age, gender, region, socioeconomic grade, and ethnicity. The survey asked, ‘To what extend do you agree or disagree with the following statements about health and care system in the UK: We are very lucky to have the NHS’ 74% of people selected ‘strongly agree’ and 18% of people selected ‘tend to agree’, giving a net agree of 92%. 5% selected ‘neither agree nor disagree’, 1% selected ‘tend to disagree’, 1% selected ‘strongly disagree’, and fewer than 1% selected ‘don’t know’.