BMA reports that NHS does not provide choice says public
More than half the people in a general public survey on patient choice in the health service believe the NHS does not offer choice. The British Medical Association commissioned the survey and is publishing the findings on the eve of its annual meeting.
Mr James Johnson, chairman of the BMA, said: “Patient choice is on the lips of every politician and drives the NHS reform agenda. We wanted to find out what it means for ordinary people and how important it is to them. We found some surprising results which don’t seem to match government thinking. Most strikingly, the majority of people (55%) said the NHS did not offer choice”
In May, 1077 street interviews with men and women over 18 years old were carried out for the BMA by Andrew Irving Associates. They were conducted at 44 places in England to represent the spread of the population.
Four fifths of the people interviewed had had some contact with the NHS over the past year, with almost seven out of ten of them (69%) in contact with general practice. Half had had some contact with an NHS hospital.
Choice? What Choice?
When asked what they first thought of when people talked of being offered choice in the NHS, most people who answered cited choice “between hospitals for treatment” (22%). The second most popular answer (provided by 10% of interviewees) was choice “between the NHS and private (paid-for) treatment. The next most common answers were: type of treatment” (8%); choice of doctor/GP (8%) ; and timing of treatment (6%).
The White Paper Our Health Our Care Our Say centres on moving health services out of hospitals and into the community. But only 3 in every hundred people mentioned “where the treatment takes place” as their first thought when NHS choice was mentioned.
When asked to rate how important a series of NHS choices were to them, at least half the people interviewed rated most options presented to them as very important. Top of the public’s priorities was the non-specific statement “the choice to have a say in things generally” (69% very important 25% fairly important) followed by “timing of treatment (69% very important, 23% fairly important).
Next down the list came choice of GP (65% very important, 23% fairly important) and “type of treatment” (62% very important, 28% fairly important). Lower down the priority list came choice of specialist, choice of hospitals, where the treatment takes place and types of health professional. Lowest on the priority list was the choice between NHS and paid-for private treatment (39% very important 32% fairly important).
BMA Chairman James Johnson said: “There is clearly an appetite amongst the public to be given choice and for having a say in the NHS. On specific choice issues, the public rates the timing of their treatment and choice of family doctors substantially higher than choosing between hospitals or where the treatment takes place.”
Of the 1077 adults interviewed, almost half (48%) said they, or someone in their immediate family or household, had a long-standing illness, disability or infirmity. This group of people placed slightly more importance on choice of timing of treatment, choice of specialist or choice of place of treatment, than did the interviewees as a whole.
Use of NHS in the past 12 months
* Women used the NHS more than men (84% of women versus 77% of men) in the previous year.
* Older people had more contact than younger ones.
* Ten times more people used GP services (69%) than an NHS walk-in centre (7%).
* Of the people using NHS Direct (13%) almost four fifths also had contact with an NHS hospital.
* A fifth of people had had experience of in-patient treatment for themselves or a relative
* Almost a fifth (19%) had been to an Accident and Emergency department
* Almost four out of 10 people had had an out-patient appointment (39%) for themselves or a family member.
In general there was very little difference between the responses of those who had had contact with an NHS hospital in the past year and the responses of those who had not.
https://registration.bma.org.uk/pressrel.nsf/wlu/SGOY-6QZF7D?OpenDocument&vw=wfmms
Despite being the recipients of large pay rises, Monday, May 01, 2006 NHS pay deals add £7bn to black hole in public pensions
Mr James Johnson, chairman of the BMA, said: “Patient choice is on the lips of every politician and drives the NHS reform agenda. We wanted to find out what it means for ordinary people and how important it is to them. We found some surprising results which don’t seem to match government thinking. Most strikingly, the majority of people (55%) said the NHS did not offer choice”
In May, 1077 street interviews with men and women over 18 years old were carried out for the BMA by Andrew Irving Associates. They were conducted at 44 places in England to represent the spread of the population.
Four fifths of the people interviewed had had some contact with the NHS over the past year, with almost seven out of ten of them (69%) in contact with general practice. Half had had some contact with an NHS hospital.
Choice? What Choice?
When asked what they first thought of when people talked of being offered choice in the NHS, most people who answered cited choice “between hospitals for treatment” (22%). The second most popular answer (provided by 10% of interviewees) was choice “between the NHS and private (paid-for) treatment. The next most common answers were: type of treatment” (8%); choice of doctor/GP (8%) ; and timing of treatment (6%).
The White Paper Our Health Our Care Our Say centres on moving health services out of hospitals and into the community. But only 3 in every hundred people mentioned “where the treatment takes place” as their first thought when NHS choice was mentioned.
When asked to rate how important a series of NHS choices were to them, at least half the people interviewed rated most options presented to them as very important. Top of the public’s priorities was the non-specific statement “the choice to have a say in things generally” (69% very important 25% fairly important) followed by “timing of treatment (69% very important, 23% fairly important).
Next down the list came choice of GP (65% very important, 23% fairly important) and “type of treatment” (62% very important, 28% fairly important). Lower down the priority list came choice of specialist, choice of hospitals, where the treatment takes place and types of health professional. Lowest on the priority list was the choice between NHS and paid-for private treatment (39% very important 32% fairly important).
BMA Chairman James Johnson said: “There is clearly an appetite amongst the public to be given choice and for having a say in the NHS. On specific choice issues, the public rates the timing of their treatment and choice of family doctors substantially higher than choosing between hospitals or where the treatment takes place.”
Of the 1077 adults interviewed, almost half (48%) said they, or someone in their immediate family or household, had a long-standing illness, disability or infirmity. This group of people placed slightly more importance on choice of timing of treatment, choice of specialist or choice of place of treatment, than did the interviewees as a whole.
Use of NHS in the past 12 months
* Women used the NHS more than men (84% of women versus 77% of men) in the previous year.
* Older people had more contact than younger ones.
* Ten times more people used GP services (69%) than an NHS walk-in centre (7%).
* Of the people using NHS Direct (13%) almost four fifths also had contact with an NHS hospital.
* A fifth of people had had experience of in-patient treatment for themselves or a relative
* Almost a fifth (19%) had been to an Accident and Emergency department
* Almost four out of 10 people had had an out-patient appointment (39%) for themselves or a family member.
In general there was very little difference between the responses of those who had had contact with an NHS hospital in the past year and the responses of those who had not.
https://registration.bma.org.uk/pressrel.nsf/wlu/SGOY-6QZF7D?OpenDocument&vw=wfmms
Despite being the recipients of large pay rises, Monday, May 01, 2006 NHS pay deals add £7bn to black hole in public pensions
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