Patients find faster access to a GP more important than the principle of a free NHS, research shows
Patients would rather get quicker access to a GP and hospital treatment than keep the NHS free at the point of use, a study has found.
The public has grown so tired of the long wait that it may be willing to abandon the basic principle of health care, according to the Policy Exchange think tank.
The representative survey of 2,000 voters found that 61 percent want health chiefs to prioritize easier access to GPs and 44 percent want them to focus on timely treatment of life-threatening conditions.
But only 41 percent say keeping NHS services free should be a key goal. Others focused on the difficulties in reaching a dentist.
Policy Exchange’s ‘Portrait of Modern Britain: Health’ report calls for the introduction of a ‘three strikes’ rule and £50 fines to punish those who repeatedly miss NHS appointments.
It also demands a National Dental Plan to ensure essential dental services become a basic right for citizens and says the Immigration Health Surcharge should be increased to £1,500 per year.
John Power, senior fellow in health and care at Policy Exchange, said: ‘Our polling shows that the public is open to compromise on NHS reform, with improved performance of core services being more important than all services being free at the point of service. usage.
The public has grown so tired of long waits that it may be willing to abandon the basic principle of health care (file image)
A representative survey of 2,000 voters found that 61 percent want health chiefs to prioritize easier access to GPs (file image)
‘The crisis in NHS dentistry has reached the public and the case for major reforms is clear, as are the reforms to curb health tourism, which is seen as a problem across the political spectrum.’
A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care said: ‘People should not have to choose between a healthcare service that works and an NHS that is free at the point of use.
“This government rejects that kind of poverty of ambition and fights back against the status quo of managed decline.
‘Instead, we are reforming the NHS to improve productivity, reduce waste and get patients seen on time like before.’