Dorset health and social care during COVID-19: What local people told us
It highlights common issues people have faced and how these have changed over time, and it identifies the challenges and achievements of a health and social care sector turned upside down by the pandemic.
Between April and September 2020, 179 Dorset residents shared 284 different comments about how their health and care had been affected by COVID-19, helping to identify where changes to services have worked well and where improvements could be made.
The majority of feedback was about GPs, followed by hospitals, pharmacy, dentistry, mental health services and social care. Feedback was also gathered about a range of other services including NHS 111, care homes, opticians, emergency care, and voluntary sector services.
Key messages
- Although the public have some understanding of the difficulties involved with delivering health and care services during a pandemic, there is an underlying anxiety that remains. Where services worked well, they were genuinely appreciated. However, it became clear that the changes and delays to treatments were leaving people worried and in distress.
- While some people have appreciated the move to remote appointments either, because they are more convenient or because it keeps them away from healthcare settings, some people find them inadequate or inaccessible - one size does not fit all.
- The national advice has become more complicated since lockdown eased; shielding advice in particular has left people feeling confused and often more isolated.
- The nature of the feedback we gathered shifted over six months. During lockdown, we received a lot of feedback about problems accessing GP and mental health services; this changed to concerns about pharmacy services and then dentistry and hospital services over the course of the summer. In some cases, the sentiment expressed during emergency measures up until June became less positive as restrictions were eased from July.
- Voluntary and community schemes across the county have been a lifeline for those isolating at home and needing support.
- The top four services we have gathered feedback about during this period are GP services, hospitals, pharmacies and dentistry.
Read our report
If you would like this report in a different format, email enquiries@healthwatchdorset.co.uk or call 0300 111 0102.
