NHS 50th Anniversary Poll
MORI interviewed 702 adults aged 18+ across Great Britain. Interviews were conducted by telephone on 23-25 June 1998. Data are weighted to the profile of Great Britain.
Overall Attitudes
160
Q1 Overall, do you think that the National Health Service (NHS) gives good or poor value for money?
| 160 | % |
| Good | 63 |
| Poor | 24 |
| Don't know / no opinion | 13 |
Q2 How would you describe the way the NHS is funded these days, across the country as a whole? Would you say it was:
| 160 | % |
| Underfunded | 73 |
| Overfunded | 5 |
| Funded at about the right level | 14 |
| Don't know / no opinion | 8 |
Q3 And how well funded do you think the NHS will be in 10 years' time, compared with now? Do you think that it will be better funded, worse funded or about the same? Is that much (worse/better) or a little (worse/better)?
| 160 | % |
| Much better in 10 years' time | 9 |
| A little better in 10 years' time | 14 |
| About the same | 31 |
| A little worse in 10 years' time | 14 |
| Much worse in 10 years' time | 21 |
| Don't know | 11 |
Hospital
160
Q4a Have you attended an NHS hospital, as an in-patient (overnight or longer) or an out-patient, at any time in the past year? Q4b Has a close member of your family attended an NHS hospital, as an in-patient (overnight or longer) or an out-patient, at any time in the past year?
| 160 | 4a | 4b |
| 160 | % | % |
| Yes, in-patient | 14 | 32 |
| Yes, out-patient | 25 | 24 |
| Neither of these | 62 | 47 |
| Don't know | * | 1 |
Q5a Overall, how satisfied or dissatisfied were you with the quality of care you received? Base: All who have attended an NHS Hospital in the past year (252) Q5b Overall, how satisfied or dissatisfied were you with the quality of care your relative received? Base: All with close family member who has attended an NHS Hospital in the past year (365)
| 160 | 5a | 5b |
| 160 | % | % |
| Very satisfied | 48 | 43 |
| Fairly satisfied | 38 | 39 |
| Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied | 3 | 1 |
| Fairly dissatisfied | 4 | 8 |
| Very dissatisfied | 5 | 6 |
| Don't know | 2 | 3 |
Q6 Thinking about the last time you attended hospital, can you tell me what, if anything is most in need of improvement? Base: All who have attended an NHS Hospital in the past year (252)
| 160 | % |
| Reduce time spent on the waiting list | 21 |
| Attitude / friendliness of the staff | 4 |
| Facilities in the waiting room | 7 |
| The doctors' expertise | * |
| Attitude / friendliness of doctor | 1 |
| Amount of information given about your treatment | 2 |
| Cleanliness of the ward | 1 |
| The standard of nursing care | 6 |
| The quality of the food | 7 |
| Follow-up care after leaving hospital | 1 |
| End to mixed sex wards | 1 |
| Need more staff | 9 |
| Other | 16 |
| None of these | 17 |
| Don't know | 16 |
Q7 Generally speaking, do you think hospital services have improved, got worse or stayed about the same over the last five years?
| 160 | % |
| Better | 26 |
| Worse | 26 |
| Same | 33 |
| Don't know / no opinion | 15 |
Q8 And do you think hospital services are likely to improve, get worse or stay about the same over the next five years?
| 160 | % |
| Better | 31 |
| Worse | 28 |
| Same | 33 |
| Don't know / no opinion | 8 |
GPs
160
Q9a Have you had contact with a GP or family doctor at any time in the past year? Q9b Has a close member of your family had contact with a GP or family doctor at any time in the past year?
| 160 | 9a | 9b |
| 160 | % | % |
| Yes | 80 | 77 |
| No | 19 | 21 |
| Don't know | 1 | 2 |
Q10a Overall, how satisfied or dissatisfied were you with the quality of care you received? Base: All who have contacted GP or family doctor in the past year (563) Q10b Overall, how satisfied or dissatisfied were you with the quality of care your relative received? Base: All with close family member who have contacted GP or family doctor in the past year (554)
| 160 | 10a | 10b |
| 160 | % | % |
| Very satisfied | 51 | 49 |
| Fairly satisfied | 36 | 36 |
| Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied | 2 | 4 |
| Fairly dissatisfied | 6 | 4 |
| Very dissatisfied | 4 | 4 |
| Don't know | 1 | 3 |
Q11 Thinking about the last time you visited your GP, can you tell me what, if anything, is most in need of improvement? Base: All who have contacted GP or family doctor in the past year (563)
| 160 | % |
| Ease of getting an appointment | 15 |
| Convenience of appointment time | 7 |
| Waiting time on the day | 11 |
| Friendliness of the reception staff | 2 |
| Facilities in the waiting room | 1 |
| Choice of which doctor to see | 2 |
| The GP's expertise | 3 |
| The GP's attitude towards you | 5 |
| The information you were given about your condition | 1 |
| The amount of time spent with you | 7 |
| The follow-up care received | 1 |
| Other | 9 |
| None of these | 39 |
| Don't know | 9 |
Q12 Generally speaking, do you think GP services have improved, got worse or stayed about the same over the last five years?
| 160 | % |
| Better | 35 |
| Worse | 17 |
| Same | 43 |
| Don't know / no opinion | 5 |
Q13 And do you think GP services are likely to improve, get worse or stay about the same over the next five years?
| 160 | % |
| Better | 29 |
| Worse | 18 |
| Same | 42 |
| Don't know / no opinion | 11 |
Ratings Of Staff
160
Q14-20 How good or poor would you rate the performance of these people who work for the NHS?
| 160 | Very good | Fairly good | Neither good nor poor | Fairly poor | Very poor | Don't know |
| 160 | % | % | % | % | % | % |
| Surgeons | 38 | 27 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 28 |
| Hospital doctors | 34 | 44 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 11 |
| Consultants and specialists | 34 | 39 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 15 |
| GPs | 43 | 43 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 2 |
| Nurses | 62 | 26 | 4 | 2 | * | 6 |
| Cleaning and support staff | 30 | 38 | 6 | 7 | 2 | 17 |
| NHS administrators | 8 | 31 | 12 | 13 | 10 | 26 |
The Future
160
Q21-32 I am now going to read out a number of statements that have been made about the NHS. For each one I read out, please tell me whether you agree or disagree.
| 160 | Agree | Disagree | Don't know |
| 160 | % | % | % |
| Alternative medicine should be available on the NHS | 74 | 20 | 6 |
| The NHS is at breaking point | 49 | 42 | 9 |
| The NHS has let me or my family down | 19 | 78 | 3 |
| I would be prepared to pay more in tax to increase funding for the NHS | 61 | 34 | 5 |
| The NHS is the best health service in the world | 53 | 30 | 17 |
| The NHS should introduce charges for some non-essential treatments | 60 | 36 | 4 |
| Patients who can afford to should contribute to the cost of their treatment | 55 | 40 | 5 |
| The NHS should work out priorities so that some treatments and patients are given a higher priority than others | 79 | 16 | 5 |
| The NHS should introduce charges for home visits | 17 | 78 | 5 |
| Free eye tests on the NHS should be re-introduced | 86 | 12 | 2 |
Q33 And do you think the NHS will exist in 50 years' time?
| 160 | % |
| Will | 44 |
| Will not | 47 |
| Don't know / no opinion | 9 |
