Member Article

Are Leeds the losers in NHS Postcode lottery?

• Two thirds (66%) of the UK public believe there is a postcode lottery for NHS services • Three quarters (74%) of medical professionals support this assertion • Leeds, Cardiff and Bristol most likely to feel there are regional differences in medical care

The majority of the UK public feel the quality and speed of care for surgery, medical treatment and after care varies across the country as two thirds (66%) of people think there is a postcode lottery for NHS services.

The latest findings from the British Health Report 2015, commissioned by Your Legal Friend, one of the UK’s leading personal injury and medical negligence firms, finds that Leeds tops the list of the cities that are most likely to feel that speed and quality of care for medical treatment depends on where you live, closely followed by Cardiff and Bristol:

1. Leeds – 71% 2. Cardiff – 70% 3. Bristol – 69% 4. Nottingham – 68% 5. Birmingham – 66% 6. London – 66% 7. Southampton – 64% 8. Newcastle – 62% 9. Manchester – 61% 10. Norwich – 60%

To reinforce this, the new findings reveal that medical professionals feel even more strongly than the public about the quality of care across NHS services. Almost three quarters (74%) believe there is a regional lottery for surgery and after care (74%) followed closely by medical treatment (73%).

However, what is more concerning is half (50%) of medical practitioners believe the standard of care not only differs across regions, but also within hospitals. This suggests that the alleged lottery which decides our medical care is more widespread than patients think and not only based upon where you live – at least in the eyes of medical professionals.

Laura Morgan, Director of Medical Negligence at Your Legal Friend, commented: “It’s concerning that such a high proportion of both the public and medical professionals feel that patient treatment within the NHS is determined not on the basis of need but by lottery. Fundamentally, it isn’t right – those patients in Leeds have the same right to access high quality treatment as those patients in Norwich but it is clear that people living in these cities feel this is not the case.

“There is no doubt that medical professionals do a fantastic job in very difficult circumstances. Now it is time for senior management and decision makers to step up and ensure that all patients get the care that they have the right to expect, irrespective of which department or region that they are treated in.”

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