Poll Results: Supporting Carers to attend their own healthcare appointments.
In May 2025, Healthwatch in Sussex wanted to better understand the challenges carers face when accessing health and wellbeing services for their own health.
179 people from across Sussex shared their views with us.
We heard:
- 20.1% (35) responders had delayed, cancelled or missed a healthcare appointment because of their caring responsibilities.
- 31.6% (55) responders have access to support (formal or informal) to help manage their own health and wellbeing.
- 40.2% (70) responders found it somewhat difficult to coordinate multiple healthcare appointments that happen on different days or in different locations.
Barriers for carers to access their own healthcare included:
- Lack of time due to caring responsibilities (58.4%).
- Appointments not available at suitable times (51.4%).
- Their own health needs not being a priority (49.7%).
- Transport or travel issues (16.2%).
Respondents suggested changes to support being a carer
- Flexible appointment booking.
- Better understanding of their caring role.
- Someone to take over their carer responsibilities during appointments.
- Someone to talk to about their challenges.
They also highlighted the need for support like free or permit scheme for hospital parking and reliable transport.
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HWiSx - Poll Results Supporting Carers to Attend Their Own Healthcare Appointments
