Healthwatch Ealing Research Report on COVID-19 Impact on Residents Living with Disabilities

The COVID-19 pandemic, the resulting lockdowns and the drastic adaptations that had to be made to health and social care service delivery have further exacerbated the health disparities experienced by those living with a disability or disabilities. National12 and panLondon3 research has shown that, during the pandemic, the disabled population in the UK have felt forgotten and abandoned by policy makers and health and social care services and, in some cases, have even felt discriminated against.

Indeed, the research shows that disabled individuals experience higher levels of unrecognised and unmet physical and mental health needs as they face multiple barriers to accessing health services. These include problems with communication, inadequate facilities, rigid procedures, and a lack of accessible health promotion information.

This piece of research is at the forefront of Ealing borough health partners’ collective strategy that aims to address the inequalities experienced by people living with disabilities and will contribute an evidence-based foundation upon which corrective actions should be based upon.

This project aims to effectively build on preliminary research that has taken place at the national and pan-London level. To do this, Healthwatch Ealing will:

• Gather feedback from disabled people on the impact that the pandemic has had on their lives and their access to basic provisions.
• Understand what aspects of disabled individuals’ health and social care have been most affected by the pandemic.
• Identify the ways in which the local authority and health and social care service providers have been able to support disabled individuals during this time.
• Gather feedback from unpaid carers regarding how their lives and access to care have been affected by the pandemic.
• Listen to the ideas that disabled people and their carers have as to how care services and local CVS’s can effectively improve the support that they receive.

Altogether, 152 people shared their views and experiences. Out of this total, 90 individuals were Ealing residents living with a disability (or disabilities) and 62 were family carers fulfilling an informal, unpaid caring role. Out of the 90 individuals living with a disability, 72 responded via the Healthwatch Ealing Disabilities Survey and the other 18 participated in one of two discussion forums.

The findings are discussed in more detail in the main body of the report, which is complete with key findings and recommendations.