A third of adults are not confident they can access a GP, ambulance or NHS hospital treatment in a ‘timely’ manner, a damning survey has found.
Healthwatch England described the results as ‘worrying’ and warned health leaders that they must act to ensure these ‘negative perceptions’ do not stop patients from seeking help.
The patient watchdog, which commissioned the survey of 2,507 people, found that confidence in the healthcare system has declined this year as it has been rocked by strikes.
Older people and those struggling financially are now among the people least confident that they will receive NHS care when they need it.
The findings come as waiting lists stand at a record 7.6 million people – equivalent to around one in seven of the population.
The patient watchdog, which commissioned the survey of 2,507 people, found that confidence in the healthcare system has declined this year as it has been rocked by strikes. Out-of-hours GP services were rated the worst, with half of people (50 per cent) not confident they could see a GP in a timely manner at night and at weekends. This was followed by non-urgent surgeries and procedures (46 percent), mental health care (44 percent), daytime primary care (42 percent) and dental care (39 percent).
Rob Fleay, 52, has been waiting for more than a year to see a consultant after his operation to remove part of his bowel. The IT consultant from Derby said he also struggled to get in touch with his GP during the waiting period
The survey asked people to rate how confident they are that they can get timely access to 13 NHS services, including emergency departments, ambulances, non-urgent surgeries and procedures, GPs, pharmacists, mental health services and dentists.
An average of 32 percent of respondents said they were not or very confident.
Out-of-hours GP services were rated the worst, with half of people (50 per cent) not confident they could see a GP in a timely manner at night and at weekends.
This was followed by non-urgent surgeries and procedures (46 percent), mental health care (44 percent), daytime primary care (42 percent) and dental care (39 percent).
Nearly a third (31 percent) did not think they would be seen in A&E quickly, while 30 percent said they were not confident an ambulance would arrive quickly if needed.
However, Healthwatch England found that trust tended to be higher among people who had used services in the past six months.
Overall, public confidence in access to timely care is lower now than at the start of the year, with almost half of people (43 percent) saying they feel less confident in access to timely care than they felt at the start of 2023. .
This is compared to 16 percent of people who said they were more confident now than at the start of the year.
Louise Ansari, CEO of Healthwatch England, said: ‘With demand for care likely to rise this winter, the negative perception that the NHS is unable to provide timely care needs urgent attention to ensure people seek medical care when that is needed.
‘If people do not feel confident in requesting a referral for treatment or calling an ambulance, they are putting their health at risk.
‘Delaying medical attention also puts further pressure on NHS services.
‘People seeking care should have greater confidence in NHS services, given the hard work of NHS staff and the local improvements achieved in many areas, supported by national recovery plans for primary and emergency care.
‘As the busy winter period approaches for the NHS, we urge healthcare leaders to address the lack of confidence that many people, especially older people and those on lower incomes, have in accessing timely care when they need it to have.
‘Simple steps such as improving communication with patients and accurately recording details of the treatment plan will also reassure people that the NHS is there for them.’
Healthwatch England said the NHS needs to employ more staff to support people anxiously awaiting care.
Patients should receive regular updates, healthcare support and access to physiotherapy while on waiting lists, with doctors ensuring they receive appropriate pain relief, it added.
The backlog in England for procedures such as hip and knee replacements was 7.6 million in June. It means about one in seven people across the country are currently stuck in the system awaiting care. More than 380,000 patients have not been treated for a year, often with pain
Emergency department performance data for July shows that emergency departments experienced the second busiest July on record with 2.1 million visitors. Three quarters of those present at the emergency department (74 percent) were seen within four hours. NHS standards require 95 percent to be admitted, transferred or discharged within four hours
The patient watchdog said the poll revealed health inequalities, with some groups expressing less confidence that they would access care in a timely manner.
Only 24 percent of people aged 65 and over felt they would access care in a timely manner, while 26 percent of people from poorer backgrounds felt confident they would access services quickly.
Rob Fleay, 52, has been waiting for more than a year to see a consultant after his operation to remove part of his bowel.
The IT consultant from Derby said he also struggled to get in touch with his GP during the waiting period.
‘More than a year after my operation I have yet to see a Gastro consultant to understand what this diagnosis means and what ongoing care is required,’ he said.
‘I have booked several appointments with a consultant only to have them canceled at the last minute by the hospital, often the day before.
‘In all cases there was no new appointment, but I was told that I had to wait for the letter with a new appointment. Those multiple cancellations made me incredibly worried.
‘I don’t have much confidence in the NHS. Even getting an appointment with my doctor is a nightmare.
‘You are forced to call at 8am, but the wait time on the phone is usually about 20 minutes and you are often told that all the spots are gone for the day.’
An NHS England spokesperson said: ‘As Healthwatch notes, patients can be confident they can access the care they need with post-pandemic recovery plans delivering real improvements across a range of NHS services – ambulance response times from category two are an hour faster than in December, the longest waiting times for treatment have more than halved from their peak and GP practices are treating 1.3 million more patients every month compared to last year.
‘Despite the continued pressure and impact of industrial action, it is reassuring to see that those who have recently accessed care are the most confident.
‘The NHS continues to encourage people to come forward for the care they need with symptom detection campaigns, while staff are also ensuring people on waiting lists receive support including pain relief and mental health advice.’