Reputation – General Public: Relationship with the NHS

Perceptions of the sector’s relationship with the NHS remains positive, but haven’t notably changed in the past year.

The public again tend to be positive about the relationship pharmaceutical companies operating in the UK have with the NHS. There is consistent recognition from just over three in five that the sector supports the NHS with treating patients.

The public are generally supportive of the sector collaborating with the health service. A majority believe pharmaceutical companies should work closely with NHS doctors to develop new medicines. There is little doubt that the sector is committed to developing new medicines to help meet people’s needs.

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A perception that pricing is high persists. There is little support for rationing or delaying new medicines to help the NHS control costs

There has been a significant year-on-year increase in the belief that the NHS overpays for medicines. But, this increase is in line with the longer term trend in opinion. Agreement in this is the case remains lower than in 2020.  However, there is little support for any trade-offs, such as rationing or delaying new medicines, to control costs. In this context, there is an appetite for pharmaceutical companies to be more transparent about the cost of producing medicines and the profits they make.

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Public belief that pharmaceutical companies in the UK are open and transparent about clinical trial results remains low

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