'I just need a plan': Consumer perceptions of waiting for healthcare

Wait lists are common in the provision of publicly funded services in outpatient and community settings.

We aimed to explore the experiences of consumers on wait lists across a broad range of services and to understand the impact of delays in access to services on people's lives.

Consumers with experience of being on a wait list for an outpatient or community-based health service participated in one of three focus groups. Data were transcribed and analysed inductively using a thematic approach.

Waiting for healthcare has detrimental impacts on health and well-being. Consumers on wait lists want their health needs addressed, but they also want the ability to plan, clear communication and to feel like someone cares. Instead, they feel forgotten by impersonal and inflexible systems with very little communication, with emergency departments and general practitioners often left to fill in the gaps.

More consumer-centred approaches are needed for access systems for outpatient and community services, featuring honesty about what services can realistically be provided, early access to initial assessment and information and clear lines of communication.