Healthcare in the UK was severely affected by the Covid-19 pandemic – it was more difficult to get healthcare appointments and many medical procedures were cancelled. A new study published in the BMJ looks at the impact the disruption to the health service had on hospital admissions and finds that people who experienced disrupted healthcare were more likely to have potentially preventable hospital admissions.
The researchers used information from seven longitudinal studies in the UK, including Understanding Society. They linked data from over 29,276 people in England to their NHS electronic health records to see who struggled to get healthcare during the pandemic and how this affected avoidable emergency hospital admissions – that is hospitalisation for conditions that can, in theory, be treated through community care.
How many people experienced disrupted healthcare?
The findings show that 35% of people reported experiencing disrupted healthcare between March 2020 and August 2022.
- 1 in 4 people experienced appointment troubles, either in seeing their GP or in attending an outpatient department.
- 1 in 5 people experienced procedure disruption, for example for surgery or for cancer treatment.
The researchers found that people who experienced some form of disrupted access to healthcare were older, had poorer health and were more likely to live in the most deprived areas. People who experienced disruption were:
- 80% more likely to have been admitted to hospital for preventable conditions.
- 68% more likely to be admitted for an urgent preventable condition.
- 93% more likely to be admitted for a long-term preventable condition.
Combining data from population studies with health records enabled researchers to provide a more complete and detailed picture of hospital admissions across the NHS during a period of great disruption.
The researchers comment, “The external shock to the health system caused by the Covid-19 pandemic seriously disrupted access to healthcare and this impact is having negative impacts on hospital admissions that could potentially be preventable.” These findings “highlight the need to increase healthcare investment to tackle the short and long term implications of the pandemic, and to protect treatments and procedures during future pandemics.”
Read more about this research in this UK Longitudinal Linkage Collaboration summary.
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