REVEALED: Wales is the region most critical of recent NHS changes

• Over two-thirds (68%) of respondents believe that recent NHS changes do NOT benefit them

• Over half (52%) would like to see more same-day appointments

• Almost half (48%) would like to see prioritisation systems to reduce hospital waiting times

Recent research has shown a deepening public concern about NHS services, as only 10% of people in Britain believe ministers are tackling the NHS’s many problems in the right way.¹ With this in mind and following rising waiting times and growing pressure on the NHS from strike action, healthcare management consultancy, Acumentice, surveyed 1,000 UK adults to explore the public’s opinion of the current healthcare system and how it could be improved in the future.²

Over two-thirds of respondents (68%) in Wales do not believe that any recent changes have benefitted their care. In particular, treatment apps such as home fitness programmes appear to have been the least popular initiative in the region, with no respondents acknowledging the benefit.

In contrast, the survey suggests the most impactful NHS offering for Wales was the addition of virtual appointments, with one in ten (10%) professing they have seen the most advantage to their care out of all recent NHS changes.

When questioned about which changes Wales would like to see from the NHS in the future, the most popular suggestions were: more same-day appointments (52%), shorter waiting times in A&A (46%) and more flexibility to book appointments over the phone (not just for same-day appointments) (46%).

In addition, almost half (48%) of respondents voted that using prioritisation systems to ensure that patients with the most urgent needs are seen first would help the backlog of patients waiting for hospital treatment.

Looking at average perception across the whole of the UK, the survey suggests people desire an updated approach to accessing NHS health services to improve service and efficiency, with a remarkable half of respondents (50%) saying that none of the recent changes already made by the NHS has benefitted them. Overall, while Wales was the most critical of NHS reforms, Yorkshire and the Humber were the areas least critical of recent changes (38%).

Nationally, when asked what they would like to see implemented by the NHS to improve their experience, the biggest priority across the UK was A&E waiting times, with nearly half of the respondents (47%) looking for shorter waiting times, followed by an increase in same-day appointment availability (46%) and more flexibility when booking future appointments over the phone (44%). The North East, in particular, would like to have the ability to book more in advance than same-day appointments (68%).

Interestingly, more than one in four (27%) respondents would like to see the introduction of fines and consequences for cancelled or no-show appointments in a bid to improve the availability of bookings.

Stephen Hall, Director of Consulting Services at Acumentice and former Executive Director for Performance and Planning across Kingston Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and Hounslow and Richmond Community Healthcare NHS Trust, commented on the findings:

“This research indicates that, despite recent changes to the NHS, people in the UK believe it has not been successful and have little faith in the future. They feel that the approach to NHS care has not changed much in the past and that there is a need for more investment in digital innovation and data-driven healthcare.

“The outcome is that there is undoubtedly scope for a serious debate regarding access to data and analytics within the NHS as it undergoes a period of significant change. It’s also hugely important that digital transformation support plays an increasing role in ensuring these programmes deliver the benefits they should.”

You can find the full study here: https://acumentice.com/the-future-of-healthcare-survey-through-the-public-eye/