British public willing to help the NHS advance medical research, notes YouGov poll

A new poll from YouGov has revealed that the majority of the British public will personally step up to help the NHS advance medical research and fight diseases of the future.

The findings showed that regardless of age, gender, geography and political voting intention, most of those surveyed were willing to provide blood for a national DNA database for medical research, register as organ donors for research purposes and allow the NHS and healthcare researchers to use their personal data to help advance medical research.

This reflects findings of deep pride in the NHS and in Britain’s medical heritage — and a commitment to its future. The broad nature of public support — across the political divide — shows the NHS to be a truly national service.

The comprehensive YouGov poll included 3,265 respondents and involved questions to ascertain their attitudes to science and healthcare for the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI).

The key findings were as follows:

• 58% of British people are willing to provide a blood sample to be part of a national DNA database for medical research, compared to 26% who are not willing (with the rest saying “don’t know”).
• 57% of British people said they would be willing to register as an organ donor for research purposes, compared to 22% who said they would be unwilling.
• 66% of British people are willing to allow the NHS to use their healthcare data for medical research, compared to 19% who are unwilling.

Extrapolating this data as a representative of the wider population would mean that more than 30 million adults in Britain would be willing to personally participate in health research to advance medical science.

Additionally, from the survey results it was obvious that people had a clear view on what they wanted the pharmaceutical industry and health service to focus on. When asked which medical breakthrough they would most like to see in the next 70 years, respondents overwhelmingly chose a cure for cancer (49%) with a cure for Alzheimer’s making it into second place (22%).

The public were split, however, when asked if they would like to live beyond 100 years old if medical devices made it possible to do so.

A majority of those who responded (68%) agreed that medical technology should be used to eliminate genetic disorders or diseases, but an even greater proportion (74%) believe that tech should not be used to make people ‘smarter, faster or stronger’ or to allow them to pick personal characteristics.

Pride in the NHS was clearly demonstrated in addition to satisfaction with the service’s current performance and a desire to protect its future:

However, even though there was an overwhelming enthusiasm for the NHS, it was also found to not be universal. Significant minorities believe they do not have access to the same levels of healthcare across the country.

Additionally, the poll revealed that Alexander Fleming is the British scientist that has had the biggest impact on health and medicine. 38% of people chose Fleming, the discoverer of penicillin, compared to Joseph Lister, the pioneer of antisepsis in surgery, in second place, chosen by nine percent.

When asked which British innovation in the last 70 years has had the biggest impact on health and medicine, 21% of people chose the first liver, heart and lung transplant. This ranked top, compared to revealing the structure of DNA, chosen by 16%, and the development of the CT scan, also chosen by 16%.

“In its 70th year it’s clear that the British people’s commitment to the NHS is as strong as ever,” revealedDr Sheuli Porkess, deputy chief scientific officer at the ABPI. “They recognise Britain’s role as a scientific powerhouse and the need to protect and invest in its future. It’s heartening to see that people care about quality of life and eradicating disease — and the fact they are willing to get involved. We are pushing the boundaries of science every day. There are almost 7,000 potential new medicines currently being developed for many diseases, including mental health conditions, heart disease, rare diseases — with almost 2000 for cancer alone. We hope that some of these will be the breakthroughs that people in the UK have said they are hoping to see.”

Ali Hansford, head of science policy at the ABPI, commented:“This personal commitment to medical advancement from the British population could help us to understand more about human health than ever before and to advance scientific research in complex diseases that we currently struggle to treat or cure.”