Personnel Today
  • OHW+
  • Resources
    • Clinical governance
    • Disability
    • Ergonomics
    • Health surveillance
    • OH employment law
    • OH service delivery
    • Research
    • Return to work and rehabilitation
    • Sickness absence management
    • Wellbeing and health promotion
  • Conditions
    • Mental health
    • Musculoskeletal disorders
    • Blood pressure
    • Cancer
    • Cardiac
    • Dementia
    • Diabetes
    • Respiratory
    • Stroke
  • CPD
  • Webinars
  • Jobs
  • Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • OHW+
  • Resources
    • Clinical governance
    • Disability
    • Ergonomics
    • Health surveillance
    • OH employment law
    • OH service delivery
    • Research
    • Return to work and rehabilitation
    • Sickness absence management
    • Wellbeing and health promotion
  • Conditions
    • Mental health
    • Musculoskeletal disorders
    • Blood pressure
    • Cancer
    • Cardiac
    • Dementia
    • Diabetes
    • Respiratory
    • Stroke
  • CPD
  • Webinars
  • Jobs
  • Personnel Today

CancerSickness absence managementWellbeingOccupational HealthOHW+

Quarter delay seeing GP because of ’embarrassment’

by Nic Paton 18 Oct 2021
by Nic Paton 18 Oct 2021 Embarrassment over bowel and bladder issues were a key reason for people putting off seeing their GP, the Essity poll found
Image: Shutterstock
Embarrassment over bowel and bladder issues were a key reason for people putting off seeing their GP, the Essity poll found
Image: Shutterstock

More than a quarter of Britons (26%), or the equivalent of nearly 14 million people, have delayed visiting their doctor over something they consider to be embarrassing, a survey has suggested.

The poll of 2,250 people by health company Essity also found more than a fifth (21%) who did delay were later diagnosed with a health condition.

The average delay in accessing medical support was 27 days, yet one in 10 (12%) had delayed visiting a doctor by more than two years, it added.

Embarrassment over bladder and bowel issues was one of the most common reasons for putting off seeing a doctor, with 42% of those polled admitting to having never visited their GP to discuss concerns related to these areas. This was despite the NHS estimating that between three and six million people in the UK are living with some form of incontinence-related issue.

Worryingly, people were often self-diagnosing or Googling symptoms instead of getting expert medical advice, the survey concluded.

GP hesitancy

Nearly half with possible cancer symptoms avoided GP

Hearing-impaired delay seeking help from GP

Nearly half of those polled (45%) said they ‘often’ self-diagnosed whether symptoms were serious or not based on online advice (for example the NHS website or a site such as WedMD).

Nearly half (49%) of those who had used an online platform had then opted not to speak with their GP after researching their symptoms online.

Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance

Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday

OptOut
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Jane Mayes, clinical consultant at Essity, said: “Our research has found that the embarrassment we can often feel around our toilet habits is leading to potentially concerning symptoms going unnoticed, left or medical support not being accessed when it should be.

“Equally, we’re seeing an increase in the number of people – particularly younger people – who are deciding whether or not to speak to their GP based on information they can find online,” she added.

Nic Paton

Nic Paton is consultant editor at Personnel Today. One of the country's foremost workplace health journalists, Nic has written for Personnel Today and Occupational Health & Wellbeing since 2001, and edited the magazine from 2018.

previous post
Work with employers on skills, manufacturers tell government
next post
Thousands of nightclub jobs lost during pandemic

You may also like

Uncertainty over law hampering legal use of medical...

20 May 2025

Employers ‘worryingly’ ignorant about stress risk assessments

20 May 2025

Awareness weeks fuel spike in demand for mental...

19 May 2025

Healthcare workers prioritise mental health support in new...

12 May 2025

Two-thirds of school leaders suffering mental ill health

6 May 2025

‘Healthy work’ about much more than access to...

28 Apr 2025

Tool developed for employers to calculate cost of...

28 Apr 2025

Why employers must do more to support all...

24 Apr 2025

How to help employees quit vaping before new...

22 Apr 2025

NHS urging people to check for cancer warning...

22 Apr 2025

  • 2025 Employee Communications Report PROMOTED | HR and leadership...Read more
  • The Majority of Employees Have Their Eyes on Their Next Move PROMOTED | A staggering 65%...Read more
  • Prioritising performance management: Strategies for success (webinar) WEBINAR | In today’s fast-paced...Read more
  • Self-Leadership: The Key to Successful Organisations PROMOTED | Eletive is helping businesses...Read more
  • Retaining Female Talent: Four Ways to Reduce Workplace Drop Out PROMOTED | International Women’s Day...Read more

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2025

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2025 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • OHW+
  • Resources
    • Clinical governance
    • Disability
    • Ergonomics
    • Health surveillance
    • OH employment law
    • OH service delivery
    • Research
    • Return to work and rehabilitation
    • Sickness absence management
    • Wellbeing and health promotion
  • Conditions
    • Mental health
    • Musculoskeletal disorders
    • Blood pressure
    • Cancer
    • Cardiac
    • Dementia
    • Diabetes
    • Respiratory
    • Stroke
  • CPD
  • Webinars
  • Jobs
  • Personnel Today