Health and care organisations started warning about the pressures they were under last autumn – this report by the Patient Association shows what those pressures mean for patients in real life.  It analyses the results of a survey, conducted over a period of a month just before Christmas 2021, that builds on their previous Pandemic Patient Experience reports.  The fact that omicron variant cases of COVID-19 surged even further after our survey period should not be allowed to obscure how difficult things were for patients during this period. Nor should the fact that this winter was not as bad as the previous one.  The findings show not only how difficult patients found it to access care, and how pressures affecting the NHS compromised their care: they also show that patients whose illness or care needs seriously affect their day-to-day lives have been affected more than other people. The Patients Association have warned previously of how the health emergency has disrupted the relationship between patients and the NHS; their latest survey appears to show that things have worsened for some patients, and they worry for the long-term consequences.