57% of docs see patients turning to private care

A new report from Medscape UK on physicians’ opinions on current social issues revealed that more than 9 in 10 (91%) doctors surveyed have seen an increase in patients struggling to access medical healthcare services in the last five years. Most doctors (57%) also reported to have seen an increase in patients turning to private healthcare in the last 5 years, likely due to long waiting lists.

The report is based on a survey of 467 UK physicians which aimed to get an independent temperature check of current attitudes across the healthcare sector. Access to healthcare was ranked as the top concern of doctors as 9 in 10 (90%) are seeing an increase in waiting lists.

“The UK healthcare system is under incredible pressure at the moment and there is worry it could get worse this winter,” commented Vanessa Sibbald, Managing Editor at Medscape UK. “It is unsurprising yet worrying that amid rising waiting lists the number one concern of doctors is access to healthcare. Our report underlines the urgency to tackle the current healthcare access crisis in the UK.”

One survey respondent noted, “Access to healthcare is a perennial problem globally irrespective of the added burden of COVID-19.” Another respondent went so far to say, “Healthcare access has been severely compromised through the nonevidence-based policies driven by public health authorities and the government.”

The same report found that 9 in 10 (92%) doctors felt COVID-19 had impacted the overall quality of care, with a further 8 in 10 (79%) believing the state of healthcare will deteriorate in a post-pandemic world.