Treatment delays due to COVID-19
The NHS has pulled out all the stops to care for people with Covid-19. However, Coronavirus has had a major indirect impact on NHS services from primary care to hospital treatment, with many patients having their care disrupted.
During the peak of Covid-19, almost all routine or elective surgery was stopped, many outpatient appointments and referrals were delayed and screening and tests for medical conditions, including cancer, were paused or cancelled. Unfortunately, for some, these decisions will be catastrophic and life limiting.
Delays in treatment can exert a significant toll on people’s emotional, mental and physical health, severely impacting their quality of life. In a survey of people living with cancer it found that people whose treatment has been delayed or cancelled are significantly more likely to be feeling stressed, anxious or depressed because of Covid-19 than those whose care hadn’t been disrupted (41% versus 25%, Macmillan, 2020).
Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, the NHS was already struggling to meet the demand for its services and falling below performance targets with over four million people on waiting lists for routine procedures, this is expected to rise to 10 million due to the pandemic.
In addition to delayed or cancelled appointments the Covid-19 epidemic has also brought about a significant change in the way many people experience care. For some, changes such as the shift to remote appointments can be positive, with people telling us they like these because they are convenient and make it easy to have a companion present for support. But others have found remote appointments challenging, particularly where they have taken the place of face to face appointments that would normally include a physical check-up.
Those who are still having face-to-face treatment have found that they have had to do this alone, without support due to restrictions and measures imposed to reduce the spread of Coronavirus. This means that some people are receiving incredibly distressing and highly emotive information, even with regards to their life span, alone.
Hearing or reading about delays is bound to increase your anxiety around your diagnosis and needing treatment. Apart from this, it is understandable that you might also feel let down or disappointed by the health service, all this can add to your anger of having to deal with a physical or mental health problem. There is no right or wrong way to feel during this time. It is important to remember that NHS staff are working to clear the backlog to make sure you receive the best treatment as soon and as safely as possible.
What can you do?
To help support yourself and to feel more in control of your health if you have to wait longer for treatment, try to focus on three aspects of your health:
· Eat a balanced diet
· Stay physically active
· Look after your mental wellbeing
This advice might feel like the last thing you’d like to do if you’re feeling very anxious, but it can help you to feel more in control of your physical and mental health. By feeling more in control, you can cope better during treatment and recover better.