One in four has missed out on healthcare during crisis

ONE Briton in four has had medical care postponed due to the pandemic, a Daily Mail poll shows today.

Hospital operations and procedures, as well as GP and dental treatment, have been delayed, with women worst affected.

A fifth of patients put off seeing their doctor because they were worried about contracting the virus or being a burden on the NHS.

Four in ten said they would worry about going into hospital – despite health officials insisting the NHS is safe to use.

One in ten said they had needed a dental appointment but could not get one. Half said they were in pain as a result.

The condition of those who are ill will have deteriorated because of the delays, said the King’s Fund think-tank. The Patients Association warned of a substantial knockon effect on routine care.

The survey by JL Partners, the first of its kind since the lockdown, found 6 per cent of those with close family or friends in a care home said fees had risen during the crisis.

Siva Anandaciva, chief analyst at the King’s Fund, said that the national focus had been on ensuring health services could respond to the crisis and protect the most vulnerable.

He added: ‘As this survey indicates, one consequence of the difficult decisions this involved was that a significant number of people were left unable to access treatment and support.

‘Some people’s conditions will have deteriorated as they wait for care, and until the public are reassured that it is safe to access services, the level of unmet need may continue to rise.’

Rachel Power, of the Patients Association, said: ‘Many patients feel worried and are not confident about accessing treatment as they usually would. Some will suffer adverse consequences for their health.’

Professor Martin Marshall, of the Royal College of GPs, said postponements had been kept to a minimum, adding: ‘Patients should not be deterred over concerns of over-burdening NHS services or fears of contracting the virus.’

Women remain more cautious about accessing care. As many as 42 per cent would be worried about going to hospital, compared with 33 per cent of men.

Some 31 per cent of women said their treatment or appointment had been postponed or cancelled, compared with 21 per cent for men. Among all adults over the age of 65, the proportion was 34 per cent, in sharp contrast to only 14 per cent for 18 to 24-year-olds.

JL Partners interviewed 2,029 adults online last week.

BEYOND the economic devastation, a health disaster is looming.

A Mail poll today reveals one in four Britons has had medical care postponed as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

And a fifth of patients are avoiding their family doctor – reluctant to needlessly burden the NHS.

For too many, this could be the difference between life and death.

Ministers must pull out all the stops to ensure those patients don’t add to the grim toll of lives cut short by this crisis.