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The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on cleft lip and palate service delivery for new families in the United Kingdom: Medical and community service provider perspectives

McWilliams, Danielle; Costa, Bruna; Blighe, Sabrina; Swan, Marc C.; Hotton, Matthew; Hudson, Nichola; Stock, Nicola Marie

The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on cleft lip and palate service delivery for new families in the United Kingdom: Medical and community service provider perspectives Thumbnail


Authors

Danielle McWilliams

Sabrina Blighe

Marc C. Swan

Matthew Hotton

Nichola Hudson

Nicola Stock Nicola2.Stock@uwe.ac.uk
Occasional Associate Lecturer - CHSS - HSS



Abstract

Objectives
Professionals in the United Kingdom providing care to new families affected by cleft lip and/or palate (CL/P) had to adapt to ensure families’ needs were met during a time of uncertainty due to Covid-19. The aims of this study were to explore the impacts of the pandemic on CL/P care provision for new families from the perspectives of professionals working in medical and community settings along with any personal impact on professionals and their reflections on the future of CL/P care.

Design
Semistructured interviews (n  =  27) were completed about experiences from March 2020 to October 2020 with consultant cleft surgeons (n  =  15), lead clinical nurse specialists (n  =  8), and staff working at the Cleft Lip and Palate Association (n  =  4). Transcripts were analyzed using inductive thematic analysis.

Results
Three themes were identified: (1) the impact of Covid-19 on the provision of cleft care in the United Kingdom, including working conditions, delays to treatment, and Covid-19 policies; (2) the impact of the pandemic on professionals’ mental health, including personal distress and concerns about Covid-19 exposure; and (3) reflections on the future of CL/P care, whereby professionals expressed both hope and concern about the Covid-19 recovery effort.

Conclusions
The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic has impacted CL/P service delivery for new families significantly, warranting recommendations for cohesive psychological support for families in addition to a safe and resourced recovery effort. Support for professionals is also suggested, following existing evidence-based models for providers’ needs that address the difficulties of working throughout challenging times.

Citation

McWilliams, D., Costa, B., Blighe, S., Swan, M. C., Hotton, M., Hudson, N., & Stock, N. M. (2023). The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on cleft lip and palate service delivery for new families in the United Kingdom: Medical and community service provider perspectives. Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Journal, 60(5), 551-561. https://doi.org/10.1177/10556656221074870

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Dec 20, 2021
Online Publication Date Feb 23, 2022
Publication Date May 1, 2023
Deposit Date Jan 7, 2022
Publicly Available Date Mar 3, 2022
Journal Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Journal
Print ISSN 1055-6656
Electronic ISSN 1545-1569
Publisher SAGE Publications
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 60
Issue 5
Pages 551-561
DOI https://doi.org/10.1177/10556656221074870
Keywords psychosocial development; ethics/health policies; cleft lip and/or palate; Covid-19; service delivery
Public URL https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/8535606
Publisher URL https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/10556656221074870

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