Healthcare

An Ipsos poll reveals concerns about the availability of beds in local A&E’s and how this impacts behaviour to seek care.

Among those unable to access NHS dental care, nearly seven in ten (69%) paid for private treatment and around a quarter (26%) said that they treated themselves.

A majority of the UK public see people of working age with a long-term health condition, as having responsibility to manage this, so they can continue to work (88%). Yet a large proportion of the public also think employers (83%) and government (78%) have responsibility in helping support employees and people respectively to manage their long-term health conditions to stay in employment.

The public’s priorities for the NHS have shifted since May 2024. For the first time, making it easier to get appointments at GP practices is the public’s top priority for the NHS (38%). This is followed by improving waiting times for A&E (33%), reducing the number of staff leaving the NHS by improving working conditions (29%) and reducing waste and improving the efficiency of NHS services (29%).

When asked what words they think of when they think of the NHS, “long waiting times”, “understaffed”, and “delays” are the most common responses.

Ipsos polling for the King’s Fund, National Voices and Healthwatch England reveals that nearly two in three patients (64%) have experienced at least one NHS admin problem in the last year (for themselves or someone they care for) such as lost test results, inability to change or cancel appointments, or receiving incorrect information.

Environmental sustainability is increasingly important in the healthcare sector, but what does that mean for how pharmaceutical and MedTech companies operate?

The public is divided in its views of the balance between seeking cross-party consensus for social care reform versus delivering social care reform quickly. While 43% think the government should prioritise building cross-party consensus for social care reform, 40% think it should prioritise delivering social care reform quickly to improve care services.

New breakthroughs in science and technology offer exciting possibilities for the future, but will they be embraced by the public?