Two thirds of patients distrust Government on health

Six months before May’s UK general election, a national survey has found that 65% of patients with chronic conditions do not trust the Government when it comes to their health. The finding is significant as healthcare is certain to be a key election battleground – October’s Economist/Ipsos MORI Issues Index revealed that the NHS is the second most important issue facing Britain today. Over 1,000 patients suffering from long-term conditions like asthma, COPD, cancer, arthritis and diabetes were invited to take part in the research, which was commissioned by UK-based medical design firm Team Consulting. General polls, such as the annual Harris Poll in the US, have suggested that consumer distrust on healthcare is usually directed at the pharmaceutical industry, not government. However, those polls tend to focus on the general populace, rather than those suffering from long-term medical conditions – which was the approach taken by this research. Team Consulting’s survey also found that 93% of those same patients trusted the healthcare profession and 64% trusted the pharmaceutical industry. Martin Bontoft, Head of Design Research at Team Consulting, commented: “With an imminent general election, the incumbent UK Government and all the other main political parties should take note. Our survey of over 1,000 UK patients, who are all of voting age, found that two thirds of them don’t trust the Government when it comes to their health, whereas they do trust healthcare professionals and the pharmaceutical industry. When it comes to treating or looking after patients with long-term and often irreversible medical conditions, establishing their trust is key. So with healthcare likely to play a key role in next year’s election, political parties must address this lack of trust amongst those patients who rely on the NHS the most.” The research is part of Team Consulting’s study of patient and doctor perspectives, exploring influence, trust, confidence and concerns about healthcare both now and looking forward to 2030. The company interviewed over 2,000 patients and over 200 doctors in the US and UK and a full report summarising the findings of this in-depth survey will be published on November 18th. “Our work is about helping the pharmaceutical industry to create medical devices that patients and doctors can use safely and successfully. That means we have to understand healthcare from their unique perspectives in order to meet their needs and that is why we commissioned this study” Bontoft added.