NHS at 60 Survey
April 2008
The Patients Association has conducted an online survey evaluating the NHS after 60 years of service since its establishment
The NHS is 60 years old since July 2008. The time was right for a good look at its strengths and weaknesses and at what it should or should not be expected to do in future. How can it be funded in future? These and other questions are constantly debated around the country but rarely do patients themselves have the opportunity to say what they think.
For the last 3 months, the Patients Association has asked visitors to its website for their views. ‘The NHS at 60’ web based questionnaire asked patients to give their responses to 10 questions looking at services, funding and the future.
“Patients know what makes for a good service, and what doesn’t” said Katherine Murphy, Director of Communications. “They want access on a reliable basis, they loathe the totally unfair postcode lottery. They also think there is too much wasteful bureaucracy. Interestingly, our survey also reveals that patients think they themselves waste NHS resources.”
The Report reveals that most patients still rely on their GP and consultant for healthcare information. “This makes it vital that GPs are up to date with their knowledge so that they can do their best as gatekeeper to the rest of the NHS” she added.
The report calls on the Government to:
- Improve the standard of NHS management
- Justify the size of NHS bureaucracy – when set against that of private healthcare
- Ensure core service levels and expertise in primary care
- Renegotiate GP service provision
- Ensure Trust Boards match their patients’ priority for infection control
For more information, please contact Vanessa Bourne or Sec-Chan Hoong on 020 8423 9111.
