NHS Confederation responds to Health Foundation and IPSOS polling of public attitudes towards the NHS

Responding to the Health Foundation and IPSOS polling of public attitudes towards the NHS, Rory Deighton, director of the acute network at the NHS Confederation said:

“We welcome the reflections in this Health Foundation polling, which raises important issues for our members.

“The issue of transparency as to the scale of the challenges facing the NHS is a driver for Lord Darzi's review commissioned by the government, which should produce an honest assessment of the issues our members face every day and is to be welcomed. From a lack of capital investment over 10 years, to social care underfunding and a workforce under extreme pressure, having an open, transparent assessment of the scale of the problem is important.

“Similarly, our members recognise that they need to get some of the basics right. From waiting lists to general practice access- a key issue in this polling- delivering on the core expectations of the public, we believe will give the NHS the permission to transform services in the most effective way.

“The issue of staff shortages, and of not having the right staff in the right places to deliver the more efficient and productive models of care is a key concern for members and it's good to see that recognised by this work. The public polling shows particular concern around the pressure of the workload on NHS staff as well as highlighting that we need to reduce the number of people who leave the NHS, and both of these issues go hand in hand.

“At the same time as recognising the challenges, we should reflect that thousands of people receive great quality care from the NHS every day, and that staff keep on delivering high quality care in the most challenging of circumstances.

“Already, there has been a reported funding gap of £2.2bn between the activity the NHS is committed to deliver this year and the funding they have been allocated is raising red flags for our members. In hospitals and other services our members face broken equipment and outdated facilities. For the NHS to make the productivity and efficiency improvements needed to tackle the waiting list backlogs and recover performance, as well as ensuring that buildings are kept safe for staff and patients, the NHS needs the right investment. This includes longer funding settlements so leaders can plan for the future, and a step away from short-term thinking.

“Further, with the public showing they are concerned about waiting times we urge the government and BMA's GP Committee to continue to work together to find solutions to avert the GP’s collective action in the interest of patients as well as halting any side effects this can cause to waiting lists and the public’s experience.”