Patient Noun Adjective

The experience of waiting for care

In 2020, we were asked by NHS England and NHS Improvement to explore the experience of waiting for care. We wanted to understand how waits, delays and cancellations impact on people and their families, particularly those living with long-term, multiple and chronic conditions. 

We commissioned a review of the existing literature in the Patient Experience Library, together with an analysis of insights collected by the non-profit organisation Care Opinion. We then carried out over 20 interviews with people with a range of physical and mental health conditions who were at various points in their journey waiting for a mixture of appointments and/or procedures.

Recognising opportunities to improve experience

The findings from this work, laid out in our report, provide compelling insights into issues around communication, receipt of referral, contacting health and care teams, estimations around length of wait, updates on delays, access to support and self-management, and much more.  

By acknowledging such concerns, we were able to define three key themes and recommendations.

These are:  

• Understand the importance of improving the experience of waiting 

• Invest in developing patient centred information and communication 
• Support people while they wait 

We also noted the impact COVID-19 had on waiting, delays, and cancellations, and it is clear that waiting for care will remain a core feature of healthcare in England in the years to come. Our research also recognised that health inequalities further impact access to care and treatment and the experience of waiting.  

We encourage commissioners and services to invest in person-centred improvements.