Brits suffering in silence as COVID-19 concerns leaves many avoiding the GP

New research released today reveals how impactful the Government’s ‘Protect the NHS’ messaging has been in stopping people from booking appointments with their GPs during the pandemic and highlights the knock-on effect people feel this has had on their health and wellbeing.

The findings from Europe’s largest telehealth provider HealthHero, shows that in the last year more than a third (34%) of UK adults have deliberately avoided making a GP appointment due to COVID-19, with more than half (58%) saying that this has had a negative impact on their physical health – a figure that increases to 74% for those shielding due to pre-existing medical conditions.

The Government’s messaging appears to have had a significant impact, with close to half (45%) of those avoiding the GP surgery citing ‘not wanting to burden the NHS’ as their main reason for not booking appointments. Furthermore, almost four in ten (39%) determined that their condition was not serious enough to warrant seeing their GP, or cited fears about catching the virus (32%) at the surgery as reasons for not booking an appointment. 29% stated that they felt they shouldn’t make an appointment because of the government’s ‘Protect the NHS’ message.

As a result, people have been left suffering in silence, with two thirds (66%) of those who have avoided appointments with their GP reporting experiencing pain and discomfort from their physical symptoms, rising to 83% for those with pre-existing medical conditions. Worryingly, half of UK adults (50%) who avoided GPs also reported a decline in mental health.

Johnny spoke to NHS GP and Medical Director at HealthHero, Dr Chris Morris:

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