The influence of waiting times and sociopolitical variables on public trust in healthcare: a cross-sectional study of the NHS in England
The influence of waiting times and sociopolitical variables on public trust in healthcare: a cross-sectional study of the NHS in England
Objectives: this study aims to assess factors influencing public trust in the National Health Service (NHS) in England, focusing on the impact of waiting times in Accident & Emergency (A&E) departments and for GP-to-specialist cancer referrals.Study designA cross-sectional survey-based research design was employed, covering the period from July 2022 to July 2023.
Methods: data were collected through YouGov surveys, yielding 7415 responses. Our analysis is based on 6952 of these responses which we were able to aggregate to 42 NHS Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) for A&E waiting times and 106 ICB sub-units for cancer referral times. Multiple regression analysis was conducted, with the dependent variable being trust in the NHS.
Results: waiting times for A&E and cancer referrals did not significantly affect trust in the NHS. However, other sociopolitical factors displayed significant influence. Specifically, being a member of an ethnic minority group, or having voted Conservative in the 2019 general election were associated with lower trust scores. Other variables such as age and local unemployment rate were also significant predictors.
Conclusions: our findings suggest that waiting times for healthcare services have no effect on public trust in the NHS. Instead, trust appears to be largely shaped by sociopolitical factors. Policymakers should therefore look beyond operational efficiency when seeking to bolster trust in the healthcare system.
Dorussen, H
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Hansen, M.E.
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Pickering, S.D.
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Reifler, J.
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Scotto, T.J.
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Sunahara, Y.
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Yen, D.
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18 March 2024
Dorussen, H
8df0a079-f9bf-48a9-b144-b10a1e3e7fe3
Hansen, M.E.
4db25517-2a4a-4ef6-92ec-dee8392a6633
Pickering, S.D.
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Reifler, J.
426301a1-f90b-470d-a076-04a9d716c491
Scotto, T.J.
46d397ec-85ac-4a35-9020-552f4b493a77
Sunahara, Y.
15194b04-44b1-4689-ab7a-fbfb1f48cd61
Yen, D.
559b8503-49d4-4b10-948b-3c71b1f28b20
Dorussen, H, Hansen, M.E., Pickering, S.D., Reifler, J., Scotto, T.J., Sunahara, Y. and Yen, D.
(2024)
The influence of waiting times and sociopolitical variables on public trust in healthcare: a cross-sectional study of the NHS in England.
Public Health in Practice, 7, [100484].
(doi:10.1016/j.puhip.2024.100484).
Abstract
Objectives: this study aims to assess factors influencing public trust in the National Health Service (NHS) in England, focusing on the impact of waiting times in Accident & Emergency (A&E) departments and for GP-to-specialist cancer referrals.Study designA cross-sectional survey-based research design was employed, covering the period from July 2022 to July 2023.
Methods: data were collected through YouGov surveys, yielding 7415 responses. Our analysis is based on 6952 of these responses which we were able to aggregate to 42 NHS Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) for A&E waiting times and 106 ICB sub-units for cancer referral times. Multiple regression analysis was conducted, with the dependent variable being trust in the NHS.
Results: waiting times for A&E and cancer referrals did not significantly affect trust in the NHS. However, other sociopolitical factors displayed significant influence. Specifically, being a member of an ethnic minority group, or having voted Conservative in the 2019 general election were associated with lower trust scores. Other variables such as age and local unemployment rate were also significant predictors.
Conclusions: our findings suggest that waiting times for healthcare services have no effect on public trust in the NHS. Instead, trust appears to be largely shaped by sociopolitical factors. Policymakers should therefore look beyond operational efficiency when seeking to bolster trust in the healthcare system.
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Accepted/In Press date: 19 February 2024
e-pub ahead of print date: 6 March 2024
Published date: 18 March 2024
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Local EPrints ID: 498212
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/498212
ISSN: 2666-5352
PURE UUID: b1117a31-03af-4e2f-9e49-84f481bd413a
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Date deposited: 12 Feb 2025 17:46
Last modified: 22 Aug 2025 02:43
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Contributors
Author:
H Dorussen
Author:
M.E. Hansen
Author:
S.D. Pickering
Author:
J. Reifler
Author:
T.J. Scotto
Author:
Y. Sunahara
Author:
D. Yen
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