National concern over the state of the NHS has increased to make it the joint most reported issue, along with the cost of living, according to data from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) today.
The ONS said: “When asked about the important issues facing the UK today, the two most commonly reported issues were: the cost of living (88%), which has seen a general decline since August 2023; and the NHS (88%).”
Concern over the NHS increased slightly from a month ago (84% in the period 17 to 28 January 2024) to reach the same proportion as the cost of living since the ONS started asking this question in late 2022.
In January the NHS waiting list stood at 7.6 million people, a slight reduction from the highs earlier in 2023.
The issue of the waiting lists and the overall state of the NHS is expected to be a key one for the upcoming general election according to the IFS.
The economy (75%) remained the third most commonly reported important issue. But that showed a significant increase from a month ago (69% in the period 17 to 28 January 2024).
The ONS surveyed 4,968 households during the period 14 to 25 February 2024.
Brett Hill, head of health and protection at independent consultancy Broadstone, said: “Seasonal winter illness has driven up demand for GP consultations and, in turn, spotlighted the challenges faced by millions when it comes to accessing GP care.
“GP support is not only a crucial first base in the diagnosis and treatment of health issues, but also plays a critical role in prevention of serious illness, identifying potentially serious health risks, and guiding people to lifestyle changes or support services.
“However, as the GP-to-patient ratio widens, face-to-face appointments fall, and the number of fully qualified GPs drop, conditions that would have once been easily treatable are now becoming more serious, and early-warning signs of serious health problems are being missed, adding further pressure on wider NHS services.”
Though Hill added that while the NHS waiting list painted a “concerning” picture of the state of the nation’s health, the emerging crisis in primary care was perhaps “more worrying”.
“With rising obesity rates and poor nutrition driven by cost-of-living pressures, the risks to public health are increasing, while the ability of the public health system to detect and manage those risks is reducing,” Hill continued.
“This will result in rising levels of serious illness and reduced productivity unless employers are prepared to step into the breach, and many businesses are beginning to recognise this.
“We are seeing employers increasingly integrate in-office health assessments, emergency health support, and regular health screenings into their workplace health offerings to help employees quickly recover from illnesses and to protect business growth from the many issues that come with an unwell workforce.”