Three in four people in the UK fear getting stuck on a trolley in a hospital corridor or an ambulance not arriving after dialling 999, prompting claims that the NHS is facing “a crisis of public trust”. Huge numbers also worry about their local A&E not having enough beds (77%) and not being able to get care at their GP surgery (70%), research also found. Public concern about the parlous state of the health service is so acute that one in three people (34%) are reluctant to seek help at A&E because they think it will be overwhelmed.
Even greater numbers – 43% – are so concerned about slow 999 response times that they would be likely to take a taxi to hospital rather than wait for an ambulance. The results, in a survey by the polling company Ipsos, are “worrying and frightening in equal measure”, said Dr Adrian Boyle, the president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine. “Much as [the NHS] is appreciated, research like this shows that people are losing their trust and faith in the system to be able to look after them when they need it most.
People [are] admitting that they would not seek emergency help because they are too afraid of ending up on a trolley in a corridor in an overcrowded A&E.” Rachel Power, chief executive of the Patients Association, said: “These findings reveal a shocking level of public fear about accessing urgent and emergency care. “Patients experiencing a health emergency should never have to think twice about calling an ambulance o.
