Three in four expect to pay for some NHS services within the next decade

Roughly three in four members of the British public believe that, over the next 10 years, the NHS will introduce charges for some or all of its services.

Indeed, 71% of the British public believe the NHS’s key principle of ‘free at the point of use’ will become eroded to at least some extent over the next decade, according to polling for the Health Foundation and Ipsos.

Of these respondents, 51% expect to pay for some services, 13% expect to pay for most services and 7% anticipate charges for all services.

Despite these expectations, the polling shows that 72% think the NHS is crucial to British society and that everything should be done to maintain it. Furthermore, the majority of the respondents said the NHS is what makes them most proud to be British (54%), ranking above our history (32%), our culture (26%) or our system of democracy (25%).

The aspect that makes people most proud is it being free at the point of use, affordable and paid for via tax (55%), followed by being available to all and treating everyone equally (36%).

Most want to see more funding for the NHS paid through a tax increase

The polling also reveals that the public are pessimistic about the NHS’s ability to meet key future challenges. In total, 77% believe the NHS is not prepared to meet the increasing health demands of an ageing population, while 61% believe it is not prepared for the impact of climate change and 51% say it will not be able to keep up with new technologies and improve patient care.

The public are more confident in the NHS’s preparedness for future pandemics, however, with 47% saying it is well prepared compared to 46% who believe it is not prepared.

When asked about what the NHS needs in order to improve, 80% said the health service needs a funding increase, with just 17% saying they think the NHS should operate within its current budget.

Most said they would rather pay for this through a tax increase, with 31% saying they’d prefer an additional tax earmarked specifically for the NHS, 22% saying they’d rather pay increased National Insurance and 21% said they’d rather see income tax raised.

Workforce plan should represent the start of investment and improvement

Tim Gardner, Assistant Director for Policy at the Health Foundation, said the results of the polling “should not be interpreted as an appetite for radical change to its founding principles”.

“Our polling consistently shows that the public wants a better health service, that can respond to changing health needs and continue to provide equitable access for all, and backs the investment and policy action needed to bring that about.

“The government has chosen to mark the NHS’ anniversary by finally publishing the long overdue workforce strategy, but this should be just the start of a longer-term and sustained process of investment and improvement – not a one-off event,” he said.