Brits back the NHS as Nigel Farage pushes insurance style system

A new national poll shows the founding principles of the NHS are still hugely popular with the British public, even as Reform UK pushes for an insurance-based healthcare model.

The annual Health Foundation survey, carried out by Ipsos, found 85% of people believe the NHS should remain a comprehensive service for everyone, while 83% agree it should continue to be funded through general taxation. The poll questioned 2,286 adults across the UK, including 1,804 in England, and revealed strong support for the current system despite growing debate about its future.

The findings come as Reform leader Nigel Farage has been stepping up calls for change. He has argued the UK should copy elements of the French healthcare model, where patients often pay upfront before being reimbursed through state-backed insurance.

“The funding of the NHS is a total failure,” he said in a past interview. “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.”

Farage has made no secret of his ambition to become the next Prime Minister in an election expected between 2027 and 2029, and his health proposals are already under scrutiny as Reform continues to poll well against Labour.

But Health Secretary Wes Streeting has dismissed the idea out of hand, telling 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.”

Streeting pointed to Labour’s recent record, claiming the Government has delivered five million extra appointments, reduced waiting lists and recruited 2,000 more GPs since taking power. “The NHS is finally on the road to recovery – Reform would crash it into a ditch,” he said.

At present, almost all NHS funding comes from general taxation and National Insurance. Only around 1% of the Department of Health and Social Care’s budget comes from patient charges such as prescription fees or dental costs. Reform UK has insisted it would keep treatment free at the point of delivery, saying in its 2024 election manifesto that the party is “committed to keeping the NHS free at the point of delivery”. A spokesman for the party added: “This polling just confirms Reform UK’s policy is the right one.”

The Health Foundation’s research also looked at public perceptions of NHS performance. Although the mood remains largely downbeat, there are signs of gradual improvement. More people reported being positive about the standard of care in the previous year, rising from 8% in November 2024 to 13%. The number who felt the NHS was providing a poor service locally fell from 32% to 28%.

Still, confidence in the Government’s NHS policies is low. Just 16% of respondents said they believed the Government has the right plans, compared with 53% who disagreed. Tim Gardner, assistant director of policy at the Health Foundation, 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.”