Confidence In NHS Falls Sharply As Backlogs And Strikes Take Their Toll

Poll Reveals What Public Thinks Of Our Health Service

- Hanna Geissler

PUBLIC confidence in the NHS has fallen during the past year as the health service was plagued by strikes, staff shortages and a growing waiting list.

A poll for the Daily Express found declining faith across a range of measures, including confidence in a timely ambulance response and efforts to clear treatment backlogs.

Overall, 51 per cent of adults said their experience of NHS services during the past 12 months had been good - down from 57 per cent in a survey last summer. Some 16 per cent said it was poor and the rest either said it was neither good nor poor or did not know.

Rachel Power, chief executive of the Patients Association, said: "The Daily Express patient survey's finding that confidence in the NHS is dropping reflects similar findings of our own.

"It's clear the pressures the NHS is under directly affect patients and we worry for the long-term consequences to all the patients affected by delays and cancellations, and their relationship with the NHS. It's great to see in these results that despite confidence levels falling, the majority of patients report their experience with the NHS is good. But it's clear too, that patients want the Government to show leadership when it comes to the crisis the NHS is facing."

Walk-outs by nurses, junior doctors, consultants, radiographers and others have led to the cancellation of more than 770,000 appointments since December.

The survey of 2,000 adults by OnePoll at the end of July found 57 per cent were confident the NHS would have the resources and staff needed to provide provide a good standard of care if they or a loved one needed it.