Public opinion: biggest problems facing the NHS 2021

In 2021, a lack of resources/investment remains the top problem facing the NHS, according to the public of Great Britain, same as in 2019. Furthermore, long waiting lists/times and not enough staff were also pressing issues in both years. A new worry to arise in 2021 was of course the COVID-19 pandemic, and one in six Britons thought this was the biggest problem the NHS faced. This statistic reveals the percentage of individuals in Great Britain who said select issues were the biggest problems facing the NHS in 2019 and 2021.

Percentage of individuals in Great Britain who said select issues were the biggest problems facing the NHS in 2019 and 2021

Characteristic	November 2019	December 2021
Lack of resources/investment	45%	46%
Not enough doctors (unspecified)/nurses/understaffed	35%	33%
Long waiting lists/times	45%	25%
Poor pay for NHS staff	21%	20%
Overworked staff	32%	17%
COVID-19/pandemic	-	17%
Bureaucracy/top heavy management	16%	16%
Not enough GPs	31%	11%
Privatisation	-	10%
Shortage of beds	23%	8%

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Release date

December 2021

More information

Region

United Kingdom (Great Britain)

Survey time period

November 8 to 17, 2019 and December 3-10, 2021

Number of respondents

1,005 respondents

Age group

18 years and older

Method of interview

Telephone interview

Supplementary notes

Survey question: "Overall, what do you see as the biggest problems facing the NHS? What else? (unprompted)"
2019 survey: 1,990 participants; 15+ years; face-to-face interviews;

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