80 per cent of people in England ‘fear for the future of the NHS’ and more than half think it’s going in the wrong direction
But the Government insist says patient satisfaction is improving
GOVERNMENT handling of the NHS has left almost eight in ten people worried about its future, a survey has found.
And 52 per cent do not believe the NHS is going in the right direction.
Almost one in seven believe it cannot afford a hospital service across seven days, a key Tory manifesto commitment.
The British Medical Association surveyed 1,240 people in England ahead of its annual representatives meeting in Belfast starting tomorrow.
BMA council chairman Dr Mark Porter said public confidence in ministers’ handling of the NHS was “extremely low”.
And he said: “People are increasingly concerned about the future of a health service that they know is under unsustainable pressure.
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“There is a gulf between the government’s promises on the NHS and what the public believe to be true.
“Everyone agrees that the NHS needs to grow and change, yet there is no long-term plan to address the crisis in our health service.
“It’s little wonder that many people question the government’s commitment to the NHS and believe it is going in the wrong direction.”
The Department of Health said: “The NHS is busy, but performing well despite the additional pressures of our ageing population — with 1.6 million more operations taking place each year and an extra 9,500 doctors and 10,800 nurses on our wards since 2010.
“Patient experience has also improved, with 85% of patients now reporting that their care and treatment was ‘good’ or better.
“We are committed to delivering a safer seven day NHS and have fully funded the NHS own plan for the future with an extra £10bn per year by 2020 to transform services.”
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