Future Medical Workforce Project Annex A: Summary of call for evidence findings on innovation and technology, and review of views from the public and patients
Summary of call for evidence findings on innovation and technology, and review of views from the public and patients
Part 2: Patient and Public Voice
Introduction
The Future Medical Workforce project has been developed to capture the voice of the profession and support a collaborative approach to developing a strategic workforce plan. It is essential that before considering the potential opportunities for change and action in phase 2, that the voice of patients and their perspectives on the NHS are also explored. It was recognised that there is a wealth of data already available where public opinion on the NHS has been sought, and to avoid duplicating questions, and risking survey fatigue or a sense that no-one has listened to previous contributions, existing sources of public and patient views from across the UK have been reviewed. The five core principles of the Health and Social Care Service Renewal Framework (SRF) 2025–20351 has been used to guide this review and highlight key themes:
Prevention and Early Intervention: prevention of ill health across the continuum of care
Person Centred and Values Based Care: care designed around people rather than the ‘system’ or ‘services’
Community Based Service Delivery: more care in the community rather than in hospital
Population Planning and Equity: planning around population need, rather than along boundaries
Digital Transformation and Artificial Intelligence (AI): using technology to improve services in a safe, ethical and efficient way
Prevention and Early Intervention
Sources explored indicate clear public support for a shift toward community focused, preventative care with an expectation that this would reduce the burden on secondary care and reduce A&E attendances.[36]There is also strong public recognition and appreciation of the need to appropriately manage NHS resources and to reduce service demand by helping people maintain good health. Respondents highlighted a desire for increased agency and involvement in the management of their own health, alongside a clear theme that access issues (for example, lengthy wait times for GP appointments, etc) can significantly hinder this. Key enabling factors would therefore include a reduction in wait times for primary care services36, [37], [38] in addition to improved public understanding of the primary care system structure and how to best utilise it alongside improved digital service availability, [39], [40] and encouragement of individual engagement with and responsibility for their personal health.
Person Centred and Values Based Care
Holistic, person-centred care is important and considered highly desirable by patients, and respondents indicated that this is facilitated by establishing and maintaining relationships between patient and healthcare professionals39,43 Holistic care is associated with improved patient satisfaction and facilitating a greater sense of agency over their own health and care.
Enabling factors include increasing the proportion of permanent staff39 rather than relying on rotating resident doctors or locum staff; improving digital record sharing between primary and secondary care [41] and encouraging the use of the BRAN questions[42]. The Citizens’ Panel for Health and Social Care’s November 2024 survey showed that 97% of Scottish participants supported shared decision making with their healthcare professional, and 93% felt that the BRAN question framework was helpful [43]
Community Based Service Delivery
There is clear public support for prioritising community services36,43, with an emphasis on preventative care, as well as earlier diagnosis and management. This does not imply an acceptance of a reduction in quality of secondary care. It is recognised that improvements in diagnosis and early intervention are only meaningful if a robust secondary care system is in place to act on these findings.36
When asked to choose two health services as top priorities for improvement, 81% of respondents selected primary care services such as GP and dental services, and 53% selected A&E and urgent care.43
Population Planning and Equity
There is some public awareness of the difficulties in attracting permanent medical staff to certain locations. The Citizens’ Panel for Health and Social Care’s November 2024 survey asked participants how they would respond if the medical workforce continued to face shortages. Respondents were asked which of the following 3 options they would prefer: 1) increasing the types of healthcare professionals providing services, 2) reducing the opening hours of Primary Care facilities, or 3) a reduction in locations (with the care in the latter two options continuing to be provided solely by medical staff). The public voiced a clear preference for option 1: care delivered by a wider range of professionals.43
There were varied views regarding the potential centralisation of services. The CPHSC November 202443 survey showed, on average, a willingness to travel:
- Locally (up to 45 minutes by public transport) for primary care services
- Regionally (up to 1.5 hours by public transport) for outpatient hospital services
- Regionally for specialist outpatient services, with 84% willing to travel further for specialist care if it would result in better outcomes
However, concerns were voiced about the potential impact on rural communities if services were centralised or restricted to urban areas.
Digital Transformation and Artificial Intelligence (AI)
The use of digital technologies within the NHS is extensive and expected to increase. The broad term includes a wide range of applications: from patient-centred services, such as online information on health conditions, remote appointment systems, online appointment booking and prescriptions systems, and condition specific discussion forums, to systems accessed by staff to support review of records, imaging and laboratory results, to facilitate communication with other practitioners and monitoring patient journeys, to the growing use and applications of artificial intelligence in healthcare.
There is a high degree of public trust in the NHS regarding its intentions for data use; however, confidence is lower in the NHS’s ability to keep data secure, and there is less trust in government and pharmaceutical companies. Despite limited awareness of how data is used, and for what purposes, patients generally feel comfortable with their personal data being used where there is a perceived benefit – either to themselves, for example to continuity of care between primary and secondary care, and across regions, or for others by supporting research, or identifying service gaps. Patients express greater concern about data protection within marginalised groups.41
Patients identify several benefits of enhanced digital services41,40:
Increased accessibility of both information and service, such as remote appointments for those in rural areas or who face difficulties attending in person.
Interim options such as guided self-help, while waiting for care, and for the formation of peer-support networks,
Greater access to information and education about health and care,
Improved engagement and agency over personal care,
Reduced repetition for people with long-term or complex conditions who must interact frequently with health services.
Key risks identified include:
Digital exclusion, affecting (groups such as the elderly, those from lower-income households, people without fixed addresses, and those with learning disabilities or cognitive decline.
Safety concerns, such as data protection, and ensuring high- quality appropriate health information.43
Uncertainty about support such as difficulties with remote appointment systems concerns about data handling.40,43
Miscellaneous
Additional key themes from the reports studied include:
- Strong support for the NHS and its founding principles: free at the point of delivery, predominantly tax-funded, and available for everyone, despite low satisfaction levels. The public are proud of what the NHS stands for but are clear that it is not currently meeting their needs and that that improvements are required.36,37,38
- Public preference for tax funded care: The NHS should remain tax-funded, and alternative funding models, such as private insurance, are not supported.36
- Desire for stability and long-term planning: There is a clear call for increased transparency in how the NHS is managed by senior NHS leaders and governments, and for prioritising long- term strategy over short-term political gains.36
- Awareness of personal responsibility and resource management: The public recognises the need to manage NHS resources effectively and are willing to take responsibility for their own health and use NHS services responsibly. Greater transparency from management would encourage this.43
- Support for frontline NHS staff: There is strong public support for frontline NHS staff, with the belief that better treatment of staff would improve morale, retention, efficiency, and accessibility.36
Conclusion
The available data indicate that public opinion broadly aligns with the SRF principles and the views of doctors expressed through the focus groups and survey. The public voices a clear desire for stability, long term planning, and increased transparency in terms of how decisions are made, how funds are allocated, and how data are used.
There is public appetite for increased agency and involvement in their personal health & care. While improved access to digital health services may support this, a key enabler identified is a robust primary care system, offering accessible appointments and continuity of care. Patients are willing to travel further for secondary and specialist care if it ensures better outcomes; however, this is contingent on having an effective local primary care system.
Finally, while the potential benefits of digital healthcare are recognised, concerns about data protection remain. Transparency and reassurance regarding the use of personal data are therefore essential.