Despite widespread promotion, nearly three-quarters (73%) of the English public remain unaware of the government’s 10-Year Health Plan for the NHS, according to new polling by the Health Foundation and Ipsos.
Once informed about the plan, just over a third (35%) expressed confidence that it would lead to improvements in the health service, while 59% remained unconvinced.
“To help boost confidence in its plans, the government must use the 10 Year Health Plan to convey a clear vision for how the NHS will improve in future, alongside tangible examples of how services will change to meet people’s needs,” the report suggested.
However, the survey found strong public support for the three ‘shifts’ that are set to shape the government’s 10-Year Health Plan, with 86% supporting the focus on preventing sickness not just treating it, followed by moving more care from hospitals into communities (82%) and making better use of technology (73%).
The plan is expected to be published in the spring.
Hugh Alderwick, director of policy at the Health Foundation, acknowledged the need for NHS reform but also underscored the challenge of balancing “multiple priorities for improving the health service and the difficult trade-offs this will involve.”
GP access tops public concerns
The poll, conducted between 21 and 27 November 2024, also shed light on the public’s healthcare concerns.
While the prime minister has made cutting hospital waiting times a key NHS pledge—pledging to meet the 18-week treatment target by the end of parliament—only 27% of the public ranked it as a top priority.
Instead, the most pressing issue for the public was improving access to GP appointments (38%), followed by reducing A&E waiting times (33%) and improving NHS staff retention by improving working conditions (29%).
“The public’s top priority is improving access to general practice, but the government’s headline political pledge on the NHS is to reduce waiting times for routine hospital treatment over the parliament,” Alderwick noted.
“Making this happen will require substantial resources and may mean slower progress on improving care elsewhere, such as in primary and community care – particularly if extra investment is limited,” he added.
Professor Kamila Hawthorne, chair of the Royal College of GPs (RCGP), was not surprised by the findings.
“We know how much patients value GP care and services, so it comes as no surprise that ensuring easy access to appointments is the main priority among members of the public,” she told The Telegraph.
“GPs want this too and it’s as frustrating for us as it is for our patients when they struggle to access our care; but this is the result of years of under-funding and poor workforce planning.”
She pointed out that while GP teams are delivering more consultations than ever, the situation is becoming “unsustainable.”
“General practice is the bedrock of the NHS, we make up the vast majority of patient contacts and in doing so alleviate pressures across the entire health service. But we can’t carry on doing more with less - without substantial investment in our service, and initiatives to recruit and retain more GPs, some patients will continue to struggle to access our care,” she warned.
The public’s top priority for increased spending
Healthcare remains the top public priority for additional government spending by a substantial margin.
Nearly two-thirds (65%) of respondents believe the NHS should receive the highest level of funding in the future, well ahead of social care for older people (26%) and housing (23%).
Although the public has become slightly more optimistic that NHS and social care services will improve under the new government, they remain negative overall.
“The 10-year plan is an opportunity to provide hope that things will get better and clarity on what government’s ideas for reform mean in practice,” Alderwick concluded.
