NHS is most pressing public concern

UK voters have claimed that the NHS is the main issue facing Britain, overtaking immigration and Brexit in the polls.

The new survey of public opinion, by pollsters Ipsos Mori, found that 40 per cent of those surveyed mentioned the health service, hospitals or healthcare as a concern to them.

With the junior doctors strike, missed waiting times and finical pressures as factors, the NHS emerged as the commonest concern.

Closely behind, 39 per cent cited immigration as either the most important or an important issue. The poll of 980 adults also found the European Union the main concern or a high concern for 35 per cent.

Gideon Skinner, Ipsos Mori’s head of political research, said: “The NHS in particular saw a rise in concern this month, as fieldwork for this survey took place as media attention was focused on the planned and then cancelled junior doctors’ strikes.

“But even so, this tallies with other research which suggests [that] while satisfaction with NHS services is holding up, concern about the future of Britain’s favourite public service is growing, with record levels expecting it to get worse over the next few years, while worries over waiting times and funding are perennial underlying factors.”

Chris Ham, chief executive of the King’s Fund health thinktank, added: “Although some of the increased concern about the NHS is likely to be driven by the dispute between junior doctors and the government, it shows that concerns about the huge financial and operational pressures facing the NHS are filtering through to the public.

“The public are right to be concerned, as the NHS is under huge financial pressure and waiting times are getting longer.”