As the NHS prepares to celebrate its 70th anniversary, Britain’s most cherished institution has topped that list of “British things” that Brits are most proud about.
According to the 28th Mintel British Lifestyles report, more than half of adults (54%) rate the NHS top, followed by British history (38%), the British armed forces (34%) and the Royal family (28%).
Jack Duckett, senior consumer lifestyles analyst at Mintel, said: “The NHS is at the heart of the UK’s affections. For many Brits, the national healthcare service has become a symbol of a fair society, delivering free at the point of access services for all, irrespective of wealth or financial contributions.”
The NHS was created after the desolation of the Second World War, and British public remains committed to them today.
With the NHS there are no insurance premiums to pay, and people don’t have to worry about health insurance policies when changing jobs.
Since the 2008 recession, government spending on the NHS has grown but at a slower pace. The UK currently spends 9.9% of GDP on health care, with 80% of this spending on the NHS and the remainder on private health expenditure.
As the NHS is underfunded, people have to wait to be treated, and this stretches into employment, where there is also currently a shortage of healthcare staff, notably nurses. Most Britons love the NHS, they just want the government to improve funding.
