The Struggle is Real: Being Disabled in the UK Healthcare System

Trying to get decent healthcare when you’re disabled can feel like a full-time job in itself here in the UK. Between battling for basic access, fighting stereotypes, and pushing for equal treatment, it's an absolutely exhausting slog.

Just getting in the door at clinics and hospitals is a major obstacle. You'd think that in 2023, most healthcare facilities would have accessible entrances, wider doors, ramps, and elevators. But sadly, that's far from reality. More often than not, I'm stuck waiting outside in the rain in my wheelchair for ages, fruitlessly buzzing reception and hoping someone will eventually notice and come to my assistance. That's if I can even manage to get accessible transportation to my appointment in the first place, which is a whole other nightmare. Public transit is rarely accommodating, taxis are hit or miss, and good luck getting your local authority to provide adequate assisted transport services.

And then there's navigating people's attitudes - both other patients and healthcare staff. The minute they lay eyes on my wheelchair or cane, I can almost hear them internally sigh, bracing themselves to deal with a "difficult patient." They automatically assume I'm totally helpless, incapable of making my own choices, and that my quality of life must be awful. Healthcare workers talk down to me, treat me like a child, or try to convince me that living with my disability isn't worth it.

If I had a pound for every time a doctor based their advice to me on outdated biases rather than having an honest, human conversation about what disability actually means for my health and life, I'd be wealthy. The reality is, that disabled people simply want to live life to the fullest like anyone else. But so many healthcare providers here cling to the perspective that we're better off "not suffering." They project their own misconceptions and pity onto us.

Once I finally get into an appointment, the discrimination continues. Examination tables and equipment are rarely height-adjustable or accessible for non-ambulatory patients. I'm unable to transfer onto narrow tables without assistance, which is not always adequately provided. Potentially life-saving diagnostic machines like MRI scanners are often completely inaccessible due to their narrow bores and tables. The lack of adjustable equipment means disabled patients struggle to get the thorough exams and screening we need.

Worst of all, these discriminatory attitudes directly impact the quality of care disabled patients receive. Preventative care, cancer screenings, mental healthcare, and pain management are often dismissed or denied because doctors assume we don't deserve the same standards. Trying to get long-term home assistance, mobility equipment coverage, or physical therapy to maintain independence feels like pulling teeth.

The message is clear: the UK healthcare system just isn't designed with disabled people's needs in mind. We're treated as annoyances or afterthoughts, rather than full human beings equally deserving of comprehensive, compassionate, and dignified care. Healthcare workers view us through the lens of bias rather than taking the time to understand our individual needs.

For those of us with invisible disabilities and chronic conditions, the battle can be even harder. When your symptoms and limitations aren’t visually obvious, medical staff are even more likely to dismiss your concerns, doubt your reports of pain, and blame your issues on your behaviour or weight. Trying to access mental health support, addiction treatment, or medications you depend on becomes a dehumanizing struggle.

Even interacting with non-disabled patients can be challenging. Some see me as inspirational just for existing in public. Others clearly don’t think I belong there, avoiding eye contact or making snide remarks about “fakers.” I constantly feel forced to justify and explain my right to take up space like a normal person. It’s emotionally exhausting.

Until true accessibility and inclusive attitudes become priorities from the top down, disabled citizens will continue having to fight tooth and nail simply to stay healthy. We must keep pushing back against the discrimination. Healthcare is a human right, and we deserve better. Legislation like the UK Disability Discrimination Act must continue to be strengthened and providers held accountable.

The UK healthcare system needs more training, more accommodating equipment, more listening, and more treating disabled individuals with basic dignity. We have a right to equitable preventative and emergency care in welcoming facilities, just like anyone else. Come on, UK—do the right thing and stop failing your disabled population. Our health depends on it.