NHS 75th anniversary: Britons say the UK's healthcare service 'sets us apart' - but fear system in a 'bad way'

Britons remain overwhelmingly proud of their National Health Service, but a strong undercurrent of concern about underfunding, and resources not being available when people need them most, runs deep.

Wednesday (5 July) marks 75 years since the NHS was first founded, in 1948. The UK-wide healthcare system has seen marked ups and downs in that time, from performing the world’s first CT scan on a patient in 1971 and delivering the world’s first Covid-19 vaccine (outside a clinical trial) in 2020, to recent sweeping protests by workers across the healthcare sector.

But what do everyday Britons think of the NHS in 2023, and what have their experiences with its services been?

Emma Higgins from LocalTV, one of NationalWorld's sister publications, spoke to members of the public to find out.

The NHS 'sets us apart from the rest of the world'

"I think that it's free-access medical care to everybody, which is just great," Mancunian Janet told reporters. "That sets us apart really from the rest of the world."

Notwithstanding the system's current issues, she said it was "just incredible" that Brits had access to a service like this. "We've got pioneering healthcare in this country, for lots of different reasons... the NHS is just amazing."

'It's really in a bad way'

Local man Jeff, however, felt that the NHS today was a "broken" system.

"It's really in a bad way," he told reporters. "It's under-resourced, and it's not fit for purpose."

Jeff said his sister had died of pancreatic cancer last year, after not being diagnosed quickly enough. "My brother-in-law also had major issues with a different cancer. He's okay, but he was in hospital for a long time.

"You could see that the resources weren't when he needed them," he added. "The NHS is great in an emergency, but when you need the back-up and the follow-up... the rapid things are not there to support people".

Justine said while her own experience with the NHS had been good, not everybody could say the same. "It's a postcode lottery isn't it?

"The next government, whoever that may be, have got to put some really serious effort into not just trying to restaff it, but maybe to restructure it in a way," she said, especially the service's financing.

Husband and wife Alan and Margaret also shared their thoughts on the "under-funded" service. Margaret had worked for the NHS for 30 years, at the Salford Royal Hospital.

"I can see things that need improving, that could be done better," she said. "But on the whole, I think they do a fantastic job."

Appreciation for the 'dedication and support' of NHS staff

Some Britons took the time to share their appreciation for the healthcare system's staff, even as many of the beleaguered service's sectors remain entangled in ongoing strike action.

Fellow Mancunian Dean said the NHS made sure everyone in the country had free access to healthcare, and "what a good job they do".

"My mum's a nurse, and I know how hard she works - and I know how hard a lot of people in the NHS work," he said. "Just the dedication and support that they offer to everybody".

Dean said he was in the hospital before Christmas, and while the waiting times had seemed "horrendous", he did get seen "relatively quickly" - a positive amongst the horror stories he had heard.