Concern about the health service at its highest since 2002
Concern about the NHS is at its highest level since in 15 years and English people are more worried than Scots, according to new research.
In the February 2017 Ipsos MORI/Economist Issues Index, the NHS was seen as one of the biggest issues facing the country by 52 per cent of respondents.
In the south of England, 61 per cent of respondents were concerned about the health service, while in Scotland — where health spending has not been so drastically restricted — the figure was just 44 per cent.
Unsurprisingly, over-45s are significantly more likely to be concerned by the state of the health service.
While Brexit is still considered the single most important issue facing the country, concern with immigration has fallen steadily since the referendum.
Additionally, although commentators endlessly discuss Labour’s immigration dilemma, just 23 per cent of its voters see immigration as one of the most important issues facing the country, compared to 38 per cent of Conservatives.
One Response to “Where in Britain are people most concerned about the NHS?”
BSA
The usual out of touch coverage of Scotland. NHS Scotland has higher levels of public satisfaction because it has far better integration between different branches of the health service and between health and social care, the latter being instrumental in avoiding the shortage of hospital beds you see reported nightly in England. The English service has been fragmented by privatisation. It might serve the long suffering public in England better if the media cared to compare the approaches north and south of the border instead of casually attributing Scottish success to greater funding – which is itself a result of different and better priorities. Why was there no junior doctors strike in Scotland for example ?
It is arguable also that the 44% concern in Scotland would have been much lower if the BBC ran a network news service with Scottish content instead of presenting English crises in health and other public services as applying to whole United Kingdom.