Who made the NHS an issue and will the government be able to make it go away?

The latest Ipsos MORI issues poll is out and Political Betting have covered it, headlining with the economy.  However after over a week of media coverage of the NHS reforms and the government's change of heart over its proposals, what leaps out at me is that the NHS as an issue has not moved up or down in the poll.


Nick Clegg, David Cameron and the health secretary, Andrew Lansley, meet nurses and doctors at Guys hospital in London. Photograph: Paul Rogers/The Times/PA



The 26% of people who did mention the NHS as a top issue facing the country is no change since last month but an increase on the 20% figure in the April poll.  If we look back over 2010 as well the NHS as an issue has hovered around or just under 20% since the election.  What happened in May is that Nick Clegg made an NHS pledge following the Lib Dems' losses in the local elections leading to a slew of newspaper and TV coverage.

It is pure speculation, but I wonder if the NHS reform announcements of the last two weeks are simply too bureaucratic and boring for it to have had much of an impact above the May increase which will have represented the high-point of public concern.  What the government's announcements haven't yet achieved is any reassurance on the issue - next month's figures will be interesting to watch for any downward movement.

In the meantime, it is interesting to note how effective the Lib Dems' communications were in significantly raising public concern on the NHS.