Almost half of people do not think 10-year plan will boost GP access
However, there is huge support for some of the ideas included in the blueprint, with the overwhelming majority backing the creation of neighbourhood health centres, the expansion of the NHS app and more mental health support in schools and colleges.
The 10-year health plan was unveiled by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer earlier this month, and set out a series of shifts to bring care much closer to people's homes, reducing the reliance on hospitals and A&E.
Key reforms include an enhanced NHS app, giving patients more control over their care, new neighbourhood health centres open six days a week and at least 12 hours a day, and new laws on food and alcohol to prevent ill health.
A survey of 1,023 adults in Britain, conducted by Ipsos for the PA news agency, asked people how they think the plan will impact access to healthcare, such as getting a GP appointment, A&E waiting times and waiting times for routine hospital treatment.
Some 35% said the plan will have no impact on getting a GP appointment, while 14% believe it will make things harder.
This compares with the 29% of people who said they think it will make getting an appointment easier.
More than a third (37%) said it will make no difference to waiting times in emergency departments, while almost one in 10 (9%), said they believe it could worsen waiting times, compared with 30% who said it will improve them.
Meanwhile, 31% said the plan will have no impact on waiting times for hospital treatment, 11% believe the plan will worsen waiting times and 34% said they think the measures will help.
However, a number of proposals outlined in the plan were strongly backed by the public.
Some 84% said they supported the creation of a single patient record, while 78% backed the creation of neighbourhood health centres, 73% support the expansion of the NHS app and 72% are in favour of more mental health support in schools and colleges.
However, more than a quarter (27%) of people do not support making hospitals fully AI enabled, compared with 44% who would back the move.
Almost one in five (18%) said they would not support so-called 'patient power payments', which would allow patients to hold back some of the payment for their care if they are not satisfied, while 42% would support the measure.
Some proposals aimed at helping people to lead healthier lives were also strongly supported.
A ban on the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks was backed by 78% of people, while 69% back plans to restrict junk food advertising.
However, almost one in five (18%) tended to disagree with measures that could see alcoholic drinks labelled with nutritional information, although 57% backed the move.
One in four people think the measures included in the plan will make no difference to patients, the poll found.
Almost one in 10 (9%) said they think the changes will make things worse, while 35% believe it will improve the health service.
A similar proportion, 23%, said the 10-year health plan will make no difference to NHS staff, while 13% said it could make things worse and 33% believe it will have a positive effect.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: 'We're getting on with the job of delivering for patients, with NHS waiting lists falling by 260,000 since July 2024, delivering more than 4.6 million additional appointments since the general election and recruiting over 1,900 extra GPs to fix the front door of the NHS.
'Backed by an additional £29 billion, our 10-year health plan will seize the opportunities provided by new technology, medicines and innovation to deliver better care for all patients, no matter where they live or how much they earn, and better value for taxpayers.
'It is no surprise the plan is popular with patients, it was the result of the biggest conversation with staff, patients and the public since the formation of the NHS, with more than a quarter of a million contributions.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
10 minutes ago
- The Independent
Public urged to continue to seek NHS care during five-day doctor strike
The public are being urged to keep coming forward for NHS care during a five-day strike by resident doctors. NHS England said hospitals and local teams have been preparing before the strike, which begins at 7am on Friday, and have plans in place to 'minimise disruption to patient care and ensure life-saving care continues'. Thousands of resident doctors are expected to join the strike, which is the 12th by resident doctors since March 2023. New NHS England boss Sir Jim Mackey has urged hospital leaders to keep routine operations and appointments going if possible and to only cancel if there is a risk to patient safety. The British Medical Association (BMA) has said NHS England's plan to carry on with business as usual poses a risk to patients. During the strike, GP surgeries will open as usual and urgent care and A&E will continue to be available for those who need them, NHS England said. It urged the public to use 111 online as the first port of call for urgent but not life-threatening issues. Professor Meghana Pandit, NHS England national medical director, said: 'There is no doubt this industrial action will take a toll on patients and NHS staff, and it is disappointing it is going ahead. 'While it will mean some appointments won't be able to go ahead as planned, we are doing all we can to limit this, and patients should continue to use NHS services in the usual way. 'The public should dial 999 in an emergency, and otherwise use 111 online, your local pharmacist or GP, and patients should attend NHS appointments unless told otherwise.' BMA council chairman Dr Tom Dolphin said: 'It's worrying that NHS England appears intent on telling hospitals to continue providing non-urgent planned care on strike days, despite our warnings that this will leave staffing levels unsafe across the board. 'At best this will leave hospital managers and senior doctors confused over what they should be planning for this week, resulting in last-minute cancellations, and at worst puts patients at risk in both emergency and planned care settings. 'Senior doctors cannot simultaneously cover for striking resident doctors in emergency departments, while also continuing routine work, and NHS England is being irresponsible by suggesting they can do both. 'The priority on strike days must be emergency and urgent care.' Strikes by resident doctors last June led to 61,989 inpatient and outpatient appointments being rescheduled. Since the end of 2022, almost 1.5 million appointments have been rescheduled as a result of industrial action. The BMA said on Tuesday that talks with the Government aimed at averting the strike had collapsed over the core issue of pay. Dr Melissa Ryan and Dr Ross Nieuwoudt, co-chairs of the BMA's resident doctors committee, said in a statement: 'We have always said that no doctor wants to strike and all it would take to avoid it is a credible path to pay restoration offered by the Government. 'We came to talks in good faith, keen to explore real solutions to the problems facing resident doctors today. 'Unfortunately, we did not receive an offer that would meet the scale of those challenges. 'While we were happy to discuss non-pay issues that affect doctors' finances we have always been upfront that this is at its core a pay dispute.' Health Secretary Wes Streeting said 'we cannot move on pay after a 28.9% pay rise' but added that the Government was looking at ways to improve resident doctors' working lives. He said there was an opportunity for the union 'to work with us on a range of options that would have made a real difference to resident doctors' working conditions and created extra roles to deal with the bottlenecks that hold back their career progression. 'Instead, they have recklessly and needlessly opted for strike action.' He added: 'All of my attention will be now on averting harm to patients and supporting NHS staff at work. 'After a 28.9% pay hike in the last three years and the highest pay rise in the public sector two years in a row, strike action is completely unjustified, completely unprecedented in the history of British trade unionism and shows a complete disdain for patients and the wider recovery of the NHS.' It came after research suggested public support for the strike is waning. A YouGov poll showed about half (52%) of people in the UK 'somewhat oppose' (20%) or 'strongly oppose' (32%) resident doctors going on strike over pay. A third (34%) of the 4,954 adults surveyed either 'somewhat support' (23%) or 'strongly support' (11%) doctor strikes. YouGov said the proportion supporting the strike over pay has dropped five points since it last asked the question in May, when 48% opposed the strikes and 39% supported them. Daniel Elkeles, chief executive of NHS Providers, said the decision for strikes to go ahead 'is a crushing blow for patients and for the NHS'. Resident doctors are qualified doctors in clinical training. They have completed a medical degree and can have up to nine years of working experience as a hospital doctor, depending on their specialty, or up to five years of working and gaining experience to become a GP.
The Independent
10 minutes ago
- The Independent
Streeting tells hospitals ‘we have your backs' ahead of strikes
Wes Streeting has told hospital leaders 'we have your backs' ahead of a five-day strike by resident doctors, according to a report. The public are being urged to keep coming forward for NHS care during the walkout, set to begin on Friday, NHS England said hospitals and local teams have been preparing before the strike, which begins at 7am on Friday, and have plans in place to 'minimise disruption to patient care and ensure life-saving care continues'. Thousands of resident doctors are expected to join the strike, which is the 12th by resident doctors since March 2023. According to the Times newspaper, the Health Secretary told hospital leaders in a call on Wednesday that 'we have your backs' if they need to make decisions on staffing, while new NHS England boss Sir Jim Mackey said the service would be 'much more resistant' to the demands of the British Medical Association (BMA). 'We and you make decisions about safety, not the BMA. Do what you do best, make sensible decisions and we'll stick together,' Sir Jim is reported to have said. It comes as Sir Jim has urged hospital leaders to keep routine operations and appointments going if possible and to only cancel if there is a risk to patient safety. During the strike, GP surgeries will open as usual and urgent care and A&E will continue to be available for those who need them, NHS England said. It urged the public to use 111 online as the first port of call for urgent but not life-threatening issues. Professor Meghana Pandit, NHS England national medical director, said: 'There is no doubt this industrial action will take a toll on patients and NHS staff, and it is disappointing it is going ahead. 'While it will mean some appointments won't be able to go ahead as planned, we are doing all we can to limit this, and patients should continue to use NHS services in the usual way. 'The public should dial 999 in an emergency, and otherwise use 111 online, your local pharmacist or GP, and patients should attend NHS appointments unless told otherwise.' The BMA has said NHS England's plan to carry on with business as usual poses a risk to patients. BMA council chairman Dr Tom Dolphin said: 'It's worrying that NHS England appears intent on telling hospitals to continue providing non-urgent planned care on strike days, despite our warnings that this will leave staffing levels unsafe across the board. 'At best this will leave hospital managers and senior doctors confused over what they should be planning for this week, resulting in last-minute cancellations, and at worst puts patients at risk in both emergency and planned care settings. 'Senior doctors cannot simultaneously cover for striking resident doctors in emergency departments, while also continuing routine work, and NHS England is being irresponsible by suggesting they can do both. 'The priority on strike days must be emergency and urgent care.' Strikes by resident doctors last June led to 61,989 inpatient and outpatient appointments being rescheduled. Since the end of 2022, almost 1.5 million appointments have been rescheduled as a result of industrial action. The BMA said on Tuesday that talks with the Government aimed at averting the strike had collapsed over the core issue of pay. Dr Melissa Ryan and Dr Ross Nieuwoudt, co-chairs of the BMA's resident doctors committee, said in a statement: 'We have always said that no doctor wants to strike and all it would take to avoid it is a credible path to pay restoration offered by the Government. 'We came to talks in good faith, keen to explore real solutions to the problems facing resident doctors today. 'Unfortunately, we did not receive an offer that would meet the scale of those challenges. 'While we were happy to discuss non-pay issues that affect doctors' finances we have always been upfront that this is at its core a pay dispute.' Mr Streeting said 'we cannot move on pay after a 28.9% pay rise', but added that the Government was looking at ways to improve resident doctors' working lives. He said there was an opportunity for the union 'to work with us on a range of options that would have made a real difference to resident doctors' working conditions and created extra roles to deal with the bottlenecks that hold back their career progression. 'Instead, they have recklessly and needlessly opted for strike action.' He added: 'All of my attention will be now on averting harm to patients and supporting NHS staff at work. 'After a 28.9% pay hike in the last three years and the highest pay rise in the public sector two years in a row, strike action is completely unjustified, completely unprecedented in the history of British trade unionism and shows a complete disdain for patients and the wider recovery of the NHS.' It came after research suggested public support for the strike is waning. A YouGov poll showed about half (52%) of people in the UK 'somewhat oppose' (20%) or 'strongly oppose' (32%) resident doctors going on strike over pay. A third (34%) of the 4,954 adults surveyed either 'somewhat support' (23%) or 'strongly support' (11%) doctor strikes. YouGov said the proportion supporting the strike over pay has dropped five points since it last asked the question in May, when 48% opposed the strikes and 39% supported them. Resident doctors are qualified doctors in clinical training. They have completed a medical degree and can have up to nine years of working experience as a hospital doctor, depending on their specialty, or up to five years of working and gaining experience to become a GP.
The Independent
10 minutes ago
- The Independent
NHS disruption expected amid five-day doctor strike
The public are being urged to continue seeking NHS care despite a looming five-day strike by resident doctors, the 12th such industrial action since March 2023. The walkout is set to begin at 7am on Friday, with thousands of resident doctors expected to participate. NHS England has stated that hospitals and local teams have been preparing extensively for the industrial action, implementing plans to "minimise disruption to patient care and ensure life-saving care continues". Sir Jim Mackey, the new head of NHS England, has urged hospital leaders to maintain routine operations and appointments where possible, cancelling only if patient safety is at risk. However, the British Medical Association (BMA) has countered this, asserting that NHS England's strategy to proceed with business as usual during the strike poses a risk to patients. Despite the strike, GP surgeries will operate as normal, and urgent care services and A&E departments will remain available for those in need, according to NHS England. The public is advised to use 111 online as the initial point of contact for urgent but non-life-threatening health concerns. Professor Meghana Pandit, NHS England national medical director, said: 'There is no doubt this industrial action will take a toll on patients and NHS staff, and it is disappointing it is going ahead. 'While it will mean some appointments won't be able to go ahead as planned, we are doing all we can to limit this, and patients should continue to use NHS services in the usual way. 'The public should dial 999 in an emergency, and otherwise use 111 online, your local pharmacist or GP, and patients should attend NHS appointments unless told otherwise.' BMA council chairman Dr Tom Dolphin said: 'It's worrying that NHS England appears intent on telling hospitals to continue providing non-urgent planned care on strike days, despite our warnings that this will leave staffing levels unsafe across the board. 'At best this will leave hospital managers and senior doctors confused over what they should be planning for this week, resulting in last-minute cancellations, and at worst puts patients at risk in both emergency and planned care settings. 'Senior doctors cannot simultaneously cover for striking resident doctors in emergency departments, while also continuing routine work, and NHS England is being irresponsible by suggesting they can do both. 'The priority on strike days must be emergency and urgent care.' Strikes by resident doctors last June led to 61,989 inpatient and outpatient appointments being rescheduled. Since the end of 2022, almost 1.5 million appointments have been rescheduled as a result of industrial action. The BMA said on Tuesday that talks with the Government aimed at averting the strike had collapsed over the core issue of pay. Dr Melissa Ryan and Dr Ross Nieuwoudt, co-chairs of the BMA's resident doctors committee, said in a statement: 'We have always said that no doctor wants to strike and all it would take to avoid it is a credible path to pay restoration offered by the Government. 'We came to talks in good faith, keen to explore real solutions to the problems facing resident doctors today. 'Unfortunately, we did not receive an offer that would meet the scale of those challenges. 'While we were happy to discuss non-pay issues that affect doctors' finances we have always been upfront that this is at its core a pay dispute.' Health Secretary Wes Streeting said 'we cannot move on pay after a 28.9 per cent pay rise' but added that the Government was looking at ways to improve resident doctors' working lives. He said there was an opportunity for the union 'to work with us on a range of options that would have made a real difference to resident doctors' working conditions and created extra roles to deal with the bottlenecks that hold back their career progression. 'Instead, they have recklessly and needlessly opted for strike action.' He added: 'All of my attention will be now on averting harm to patients and supporting NHS staff at work. 'After a 28.9 per cent pay hike in the last three years and the highest pay rise in the public sector two years in a row, strike action is completely unjustified, completely unprecedented in the history of British trade unionism and shows a complete disdain for patients and the wider recovery of the NHS.' It came after research suggested public support for the strike is waning. A YouGov poll showed about half (52 per cent) of people in the UK 'somewhat oppose' (20 per cent) or 'strongly oppose' (32 per cent) resident doctors going on strike over pay. A third (34 per cent) of the 4,954 adults surveyed either 'somewhat support' (23 per cent) or 'strongly support' (11 per cent) doctor strikes. YouGov said the proportion supporting the strike over pay has dropped five points since it last asked the question in May, when 48 per cent opposed the strikes and 39 per cent supported them. Daniel Elkeles, chief executive of NHS Providers, said the decision for strikes to go ahead 'is a crushing blow for patients and for the NHS'. Resident doctors are qualified doctors in clinical training. They have completed a medical degree and can have up to nine years of working experience as a hospital doctor, depending on their specialty, or up to five years of working and gaining experience to become a GP.
