The NHS is being hit by ‘quad-demic’ of illnesses, as an Ipsos poll shows long waits for A&E, 999 calls and GP appointments are the biggest worries Britons have
Fears are growing for the NHS as new polling shows the public are impatient for the Government to make improvements.
Long waits for A&E care, ambulances and GP appointments are the biggest worries Britons have about the health service. The survey of 1,081 people conducted by Ipsos showed chief concerns were A&E waiting times at 68%, long waits for GP appointments at 63%, planned hospital appointments at 62% and ambulance delays at 62%.
The NHS is already feeling the strain from a so-called “quad-demic” of illnesses – flu, Covid-19, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and norovirus.
The new polling showed half of those with concerns about the NHS said they are concerned about the workload on healthcare staff at 52%, and the quality of care being delivered at 49%. Some 38% said they have concerns about the NHS’s ability to recruit staff, while a third said they were worried about the wellbeing of existing workers.
About a quarter of those who said they were concerned about the NHS at the moment said they were concerned about staff pay at 26%, the qualifications of workers being recruited at 24% and the share of contracts being offered to private healthcare providers at 23%.
The polling found more than eight in 10 people said they have concerns about the health service overall, with half not confident that the Government’s plans for the NHS will lead to improvements in the next five years.
It comes a day after separate YouGov polling showing a drop in Government popularity overall confirmed Labour remains the most trusted party to rebuild the NHS. Some 29% said that they trust the party most while Reform UK came second with 13%.
The Government’s 10 Year Health Plan is expected to be published in the spring and will focus more on ill-health prevention, digital technologies and shifting more care from hospitals into the community. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer pledged that by July 2029, 92% of patients would be seen within 18 weeks for pre-planned care such as hip and knee replacements.
A spokesman for the Department of Health and Social Care said: “The NHS is broken but it is not beaten. It is no surprise to see so many people concerned about the state of the NHS. We inherited record long waiting lists but through our Plan for Change we will turn the health service around. The £26 billion provided at the budget means we can drive improvements across the NHS, we have set an ambitious target to cut waiting times from 18 months to a maximum of 18 weeks, and we will deliver an additional two million appointments during our first year in Government, equivalent to 40,000 per week.”
