Healthwatch Cornwall has just launched a major new survey to find out how the current increases in the cost of living are impacting people’s access to health and social care in Cornwall.
Healthwatch England has published a recent survey which shows that people are avoiding vital care due to rising living costs. For example, more people are avoiding hospital and GP appointments due to transport costs and 1 in 10 people are cutting back on over-the-counter medications they normally rely on.
The Healthwatch Cornwall team wants to know how people in Cornwall are affected and the survey aims to reach as many people as possible across the county – particularly in communities that aren’t often heard from, whether for geographical or economic reasons.
The research will be shared with Cornwall Council and the Integrated Care Board to improve knowledge of the local issues people are facing in accessing health and social care. This will mean more people being signposted to the correct support and services.
“Having a clearer picture of how the cost of living is affecting people’s access to health and social care services in Cornwall will help services improve,” said Jenny Salmon, Healthwatch Cornwall Engagement Research Officer. “We want more people to be able to access the right health care at the right time and that’s why this survey is so important.”
The survey will run until August 20th and can be accessed online or as a paper hard copy survey. Please click here, contact Healthwatch or call 0800 381 281 to complete the survey.