The Health Foundation - Public perceptions of the NHS and social care: performance, policy and expectations (3 February 2022)

Summary

This report by the Health Foundation examines shifts in public attitudes towards health, the NHS and social care caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. It highlights key findings from the first wave of the Health Foundation's new programme of polling research, delivered in partnership with Ipsos, that will track public views on health and social care every six months.

Content

Key findings:

• The public is pessimistic about the state of the NHS and social care, with 57% of people believing the general standard of care provided by the NHS has got worse in the last 12 months. 69% think the standard of social care services has deteriorated. Expectations for the next 12 months are also low, with 43% thinking NHS standards will get worse and 53% thinking social care standards will get worse.
• Perceptions of NHS service locally and nationally are now very similar. Less than half of people think the NHS is providing a good service nationally (44%) or locally (42%).
• Th public's top priorities for the NHS include addressing the workload pressures on NHS staff, increasing the number of staff in the NHS and improving waits for routine services.
• Few people (9% in England) think the UK government has the right policies for the NHS.
• 58% of the public support the government’s decision to raise taxes to spend more on the NHS and social care, with only 22% opposing it.