Reform's threat to NHS as Nigel Farage plans new model - but Brits say no
Poll shows support for founding principles of the NHS remain rock solid despite Reform UK's Nigel Farage backing an insurance system where 'if you can afford it, you pay'
A national poll shows Brits still strongly support the founding principles of the NHS as Reform UK threatens to replace our current healthcare system with an insurance model.
The annual poll by the Health Foundation shows 85% insist it should remain a comprehensive service for all and 83% agree it should stay funded from general taxation. The survey by polling agency Ipsos questioned a representative sample of 2,286 Brits, 1,804 of whom were from England.
It comes after Reform leader Nigel Farage has called for a new healthcare system where “If you can afford it, you pay; if you can’t, you don’t”.
Reform UK are way ahead of Labour in the opinion polls and are facing increased scrutiny over what they would do if they won the next general election. The Health Foundation report stated: “There are no significant changes in support for these founding principles, with the proportion thinking the NHS should provide a comprehensive service available to everyone remaining stable.”
Mr Farage has insisted he is confident of becoming the next Prime Minister after the next general election which could be help any time from 2027 to 2029. During a previous interview, he said: “The funding of the NHS is a total failure. The French do it much better with less funding. There is a lesson there. If you can afford it, you pay; if you can’t, you don’t. It works incredibly well.”
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The French healthcare system includes mandatory state-run social insurance, financed by payroll deductions and taxes. The system often requires patients to pay upfront and then receive partial or full reimbursement. Many people also purchase private insurance to cover the remaining costs.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting told the Mirror: “With Labour, when you fall ill you will never have to worry about the bill. I am a cancer survivor who owes his life to the health service. Nigel Farage will get his hands on our NHS over my dead body.
“Thanks to Labour’s investment, we’ve delivered five million extra appointments, cut waiting lists, and recruited 2,000 more GPs. The NHS is finally on the road to recovery – Reform would crash it into a ditch.”
Currently the vast majority of funding for the NHS in England comes from general taxation and National Insurance contributions. Around 1% of the Department of Health and Social Care’s budget comes from patient charges, such as for prescriptions and dental treatment.
The Health Foundation poll showed that, looking forward five years, the public are fearful that the founding principles of the NHS will remain. Some 26% disagree that the NHS will provide a comprehensive service available to everyone, and 21% disagree that it will remain free at the point of delivery.
Reform UK has said it is committed to keeping the NHS free at the point of delivery, as stated in its 2024 election manifesto. A spokesman said: “Reform UK are committed to keeping the NHS free at the point of delivery. This polling just confirms Reform UK’s policy is the right one.”
The new polling published today shows some improvements in public satisfaction with the NHS under Labour following a decade of growing dissatisfaction. The survey was conducted in May last year - ten months after Labour came to power in the 2024 General Election.
People were more positive about the general standard of NHS care provided in the previous 12 months than they have been since 2020, increasing from 8% in November 2024 to 13%. Fewer disagreed that the NHS is providing a good service locally, down from 32% to 28%.
The poll was conducted at a time when Mr Streeting and the Government were publicly stating that the NHS was “broken” and would take time to fix. Pollsters have previously explained how there can be a time lag between NHS improvements and public perceptions of how the health service is performing.
Researchers found that public confidence in the Government's NHS policies "remains low" after just over half (53%) said they disagree that the Government has the right policies for the health service, compared to 16% who agree. Researchers said that public perceptions of the NHS "remain negative overall" but there are some signs that views are "slowly improving".
Tim Gardner, assistant director of policy at the Health Foundation and one of the authors of the report, said: "Overall, the public mood on health and care remains largely downbeat but there are signs that perceptions are slowly improving. The challenge for government will be convincing the public that their plans will deliver tangible improvements in the areas they care most about.”