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Experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic

Access to healthcare Te āhei ki ngā ratonga hauora

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Experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic

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What people said worked well | Ko ngā mea i kī te tangata i pai

  • COVID-19 restrictions reduced the impact of high morbidity rates on the health system, meaning that people could continue to access medical care throughout the pandemic.
  • Being able to have a GP appointment online or over the phone made access to healthcare easier.
  • Access to antiviral medication for COVID-19 was valued.

What people said didn’t work or could be improved | Ko ngā mea i kī te tangata kāore i pai, me pai ake rānei

  • Access to GPs was impacted by restrictions leading to appointment delays, and phone appointments were in many cases inadequate.
  • Hospital-based care was impacted due to lengthy wait times and closures in preparation for COVID-19 cases.
  • Access to healthcare was impacted by an over-prioritisation of COVID-19 compared to other health issues.
  • Delays in accessing healthcare during the pandemic has had knock-on effects that are still ongoing.

What people suggested for the future | Ngā mea i whakatakotoria mai mō muri ake

  • Antivirals should be easily accessible for anyone who needs them, regardless of age or ethnicity.
  • Screening and treatment for diseases like cancer should always continue without disruption.Some people told us their access to healthcare continued throughout the pandemic, and attributed that to Aotearoa New Zealand managing to avoid the large scale COVID-19 outbreaks and fatalities seen overseas.More people, though, told us about being unable to access the healthcare they needed during the pandemic, particularly during lockdowns.

Some people told us their access to healthcare continued throughout the pandemic, and attributed that to Aotearoa New Zealand managing to avoid the large scale COVID-19 outbreaks and fatalities seen overseas.

More people, though, told us about being unable to access the healthcare they needed during the pandemic, particularly during lockdowns.

People reported issues regarding hospital and emergency department care during the pandemic. This included experiencing inadequate care, long wait times, and being discharged before they considered they had been properly treated or cared for.

“Shutting down hospitals ‘in case’ it was needed for COVID-19 cases is not ok. Our local hospital was dead!! They had very few patients, minimal outpatient clinics, and huge waiting lists. In the initial lockdown we had NO COVID-19 patients. People are now waiting months and months longer for appointmentsthat should have happened a long time ago. Three years down the track and we are still in a shambles.”

55–64-year-old female, Bay of Plenty

Some people told us they found it hard to get an appointment with their GP, both during the pandemic and after. They often blamed the overwhelmed health system, cost, or GP closures that resulted in backlogs and waitlists.

People described how the pandemic response prevented them or others from accessing appropriate treatment for standard symptoms. They reported being unable to see a GP if they had flu-like symptoms or being told to go home if they weren’t well.

Some people thought COVID-19 antiviral medications should have been easier to access. Some people also felt the criteria for being prescribed this medication were too strict or discriminatory, and that it should have been accessible for everyone.

People reported delays in cancer diagnosis or treatment during the pandemic, stating that this led to faster deterioration in health for cancer patients. They commented that they considered the health system was too focused on COVID-19 during this time, and that cancer treatment and screening should have continued as normal.

“My mother-in-law who had seen her GP prior to lockdown…was referred to the hospital for a colonoscopy. The hospital put a freeze on all their outpatient clinics. By the time they got around to clearing the back log, my mother-in-law had Stage 3 bowel cancer. Sadly, she is no longer with us and I firmly believe that had she been seen sooner she would still be with us.”

55–64 year-old female, Manawatū-Whanganui

“An urgent scan for probable breast cancer (I had delayed official diagnosing for 2 years) was made for March 24th… but then all non-urgent investigations, operations and outpatient appointments were cancelled for those aged over 70 years! (I was a healthy 80-year-old.)

I was unable to have the scan until the end of July, and had the operation I had expected/wanted two weeks later. Fortunately, my cancer was ‘indolent’, not a worry re distant spread. But if it had been aggressive, then that delay might have been fatal.”

75–84-year-old female, Wellington

People described various stages of pregnancy and childbirth being impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. People told us about the anxiety they felt about having to face giving birth without their partners or support people there with them. Others discussed not being able to continue IVF treatments, having difficulty finding a midwife, not receiving the usual check-ups, and not being properly supported through traumatic birth or postnatal depression.

“I fell pregnant in early 2020, giving birth later that year. I missed out on the usual number of checks, and much of the pregnancy was left up to me.

This was my third child and I’m a health professional with a good understanding of what to look out for, which helped. Had I not had that background, I would have found this extremely scary, as many women did. Even with my knowledge, it was very unsettling having so few basic checks and the possibility of issues being missed, or not being able to birth on my own terms due to government mandates and restrictions.”

35–44-year-old Pākehā female

“My son was born in April 2020, during the first lockdown. I had an emergency c-section after a day of labouring at home. After the surgery my husband was told to leave the hospital as soon as I was to be moved to the ward. He couldn’t stay, despite having been there for the birth and labour. I was unable to walk yet, and both my midwife and husband were gone, so I had no support.”

18–24-year-old Pākehā female

Disabled people and their families described a shortage of carers, or difficulty accessing disability support services during the pandemic. Some people told us they became full-time carers for disabled partners or family members, which added a lot of pressure and stress.

“Our son has both high medical, intellectual disability and autism […] We are supported to care for our son using a system called Individualised Funding (IF). Under this system we employ our own staff to care for our son in our home, as he requires 24/7 awake care. Part of his care is done by care workers and the rest is done by family.

[…] We had trouble maintaining a team of carers – under the IF system, we don't have back-up teams to fill in when someone is sick. This meant each time a carer was unable to come to work due to isolation, it was up to us as family to care for our son. This was on top of the job my husband continued to work fulltime during the day on. There are 168 hours per week to cover when your child doesn't attend school, and at times we had to cover around 120 hours between us, on top of my husband continuing his job. As I worked in retail I was covered to be paid while staying home – but my normal hours and pay were only 20 hours anyway.

We had no access to assistance and had to stay awake during those times which was unmanageable and not safe.”

55–64-year-old Pākehā female, Auckland
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