ACCESS to GP appointments has topped the public’s list of NHS concerns, according to a new poll.

The Health Foundation think tank warned of a “potential misalignment” between the government’s priorities for the health service, which it claims is reducing waiting times for routine hospital treatment, and what is most important to the public.

The poll of 2,198 people over the age of 16, conducted by Ipsos, found that making it easier to get a GP appointment was a top priority for almost four in 10.

This was followed by improving A&E waiting times (33 per cent) and reducing the number of staff leaving the NHS by improving working conditions (29 per cent).

Some 27 per cent said they classed cutting waiting times for routine hospital services as a top priority.

The Health Foundation said improving access to GP services “will require action across a range of areas, such as improving how people navigate and experience services, not just increasing the supply of appointments.”

It comes after the government revealed its 10 Year Health Plan will include three major shifts, including focusing more on prevention over sickness, moving care from hospital into the community and a better use of technology.

Health Foundation director of policy Hugh Alderwick said: “The public’s top priority is improving access to general practice, but the government’s headline political pledge on the NHS is to reduce waiting times for routine hospital treatment over the parliament.

“Making this happen will require substantial resources and may mean slower progress on improving care elsewhere, such as in primary and community care, particularly if extra investment is limited.”

The Department for Health and Social Care said it is hiring an extra 1,000 GPs and proposing the biggest boost to GP funding in years, at £889m.