Waiting for hospital care - June 2022
The number of people waiting for hospital appointments or treatment has been growing since 2009, and the pandemic has resulted in many more people having their operations, treatment and appointments cancelled or delayed. In Surrey approximately 100,000 people are currently waiting for hospital treatment and this figure is not expected to start falling until 2024. Healthwatch Surrey ran this research to provide insight that will enable services to support those waiting and minimise the harm of long waits.
Our findings are based on 182 survey responses.
We received a clear message from respondents that many feel they are missing information and support while they are waiting. They told us they had not had worsening care advice or been told who to contact if their condition deteriorated. They want more information about how long they are likely to have to wait so they can make informed decisions about managing their condition and their health, and to reduce anxiety and uncertainty.
One of the recommendations from the report is to consider Active management - and we asked the following questions to service providers:
- Are the people on wating lists being actively managed?
- Are they being empowered to manage their condition and their health so they can achieve the best possible outcomes?
- Or once people are on a waiting list are they out of sight, out of mind?
Waiting for hospital care report
File download
Waiting for hospital care - June 2022 (pdf)
Waiting for hospital care report (word)
Waiting for hospital care - 1 page summary (pdf)
Waiting for hospital care - 1 page summary (word)
