Snapshot survey of health leaders on the Government’s NHS reforms

Nuffield Trust

Research summary

9 Mar 2011

Project:

The NHS White Paper and Health and Social Care Bill

Area of work:

Commissioning, Efficiency & productivity, NHS & social care reform

The Government is proposing major reforms to the way health services are organised and delivered in the NHS in England. At this crucial time in the reform agenda, the Nuffield Trust has conducted a 'snapshot' survey of health leaders to test their views and attitudes towards the reforms.

Summary

This survey was in part designed to help frame debates at the Nuffield Trust's 2011 Health Strategy Summit for health leaders. While not a comprehensive, representative sample of views among policy-makers and expert opinion on the NHS, the findings outlined in our Snapshot survey of health leaders on the Government's NHS reforms provide a useful starting point for debate on the Government's NHS reform programme.

Our ‘snapshot' survey of health leaders provides a useful insight into their views and attitudes towards the Government’s NHS reforms

Of the 64 respondents to our survey:

Two thirds felt that 'fundamental change' in the NHS are necessary;
Three quarters agreed that services have improved in the past three years;
Two thirds of respondents thought that the current pace of reforms is too fast;
A large majority did not think the reforms were essential to achieving the required efficiency savings in the NHS;
A majority was in favour of more competition, but also said that altruism was the most important motivator of professional behaviour.

The Nuffield Trust supplemented its survey of health leaders’ views by commissioning Ipsos MORI to survey a representative sample of the public (1,000 people) in England, to explore their views on the reforms – download the findings and view the key slides.

In addition, to explore the views of GPs on the reforms, the online community Doctors.net.uk, in partnership with the Nuffield Trust, conducted two surveys of their members. Download the findings of the Doctors.net.uk and Nuffield Trust surveys, and view the key slides for the January 2011 and February 2011 polls.