THERE will be few who over the last couple of years have escaped hanging onto a phone for what could be a very long time trying to make an appointment to see a doctor.

Its totally frustrating; many more will also have experienced having finally got through to someone only to be told there are no appointments and to call back in a narrow hour long window the next day. And its not just doctors, if you are lucky enough to have an NHS dentist, hang on tight, you are one of the lucky ones; something we have known about for some time, but which has received a lot of national attention this week.

Access to health and wellbeing services also includes social care, and all have been severely hit as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

In an effort to find out just how badly, the Craven Communities Together Health and Care Partnership - made up of GPs, NHS services, and councils, is asking people to share their views and experiences.

The partnership says it is aware people have struggled to get the right services when they need them during the pandemic, and it is working hard to help improve things.

Whether or not it can help, when surely it must be a lack of people that is one of the main reasons for services failing, is another thing - but it is inviting people in Craven to tell it what is going wrong, and to suggest ways health and wellbeing services could be improved.

People often shy away from complaining about health services, we all know what pressure our NHS is under - but this is an anonymous survey, and it ends on May 31.