Project #86:
Understanding the impacts of healthcare disruption on avoidable hospitalisations

The COVID-19 pandemic has placed large pressures on the NHS. To help make space to treat patients with COVID-19, the NHS has cancelled, postponed, or changed health care. Some people were discouraged from using services for fear of catching COVID-19 or not wanting to take up resources during a pandemic.

We will study the impacts of health care disruption (e.g., delays and confusion over service delivery) in England. We will study how hospital admissions that could have been prevented have varied during the pandemic. We will look at trends over time, including which types of people were more affected than others. We will share the findings with policy makers, NHS care managers, and politicians to help inform:

• Which services to invest in or prioritise first
• Which types of people need additional help

Our study will help benefit patients and minimise any impacts of this disruption.