NHS Confederation chief executive: 'Public confused about NHS'

These results give us a sharp indication that the public have become worried and confused about what is going on with the NHS.

It would appear very likely that much of this relates to the understanding and support for the recent reforms.

It is really important that politicians and NHS leaders are engaging the public in the major debate about the NHS and how we need to change in order to sustain and improve the services they have come to expect and value over recent years.

Any drop in confidence in the service or confusion about the nature of current reform is therefore troubling.

Over the coming months, it is going to be more important than ever that the Government and the NHS communicate effectively the financial and service challenges we face.