In the research by the Health Foundation and Ipsos UK, 60% said the Government should prioritise the NHS budget on improving access to community-based services like general practice and dentistry, twice those who would prioritise access to hospitals (29%) if current budgets remained the same.

Tim Gardner, assistant director of policy at the Health Foundation, said: ‘The public clearly supports the need for greater investment in primary and community care to help our growing, ageing population to live healthier lives, as well as to help people manage illness better and ease the burden on stretched NHS hospitals.'

Participants also largely supported a greater focus on primary and community care to reduce demand on hospitals, for example, through earlier diagnosis and better management of conditions. 

The findings came with NHS spending on general practice currently at its lowest in almost a decade and follows Health Foundation analysis that projected an additional 2.6m people were expected to have a major illness by 2040 with conditions, such as anxiety and depression, chronic pain and diabetes, that could be managed more effectively in primary care.

Just under half of the public (47%) backed an increase in taxation to maintain current NHS service levels.

In addition, 11% would like to reduce spending on other public services to maintain current levels of NHS care and 9% would reduce the level of services provided by the NHS to avoid increasing tax and spending. The polling also found that those intending to vote for Labour (63%) and Liberal Democrat (61%) were more in favour of increasing taxes than those voting Conservative (41%). 

People favoured earmarked taxes similar to the health and social care levy introduced by Boris Johnson's Government, and VAT, over income tax. 

However, participants had conditions around additional funding, including a need for the NHS to be more efficient and spend its budget well; a need to see improvements in services; and greater transparency and long-term planning to make the best use of the budget.

The vast majority (88%) believed the NHS should be free at the point of delivery, with 84% saying it should provide a comprehensive service available to everyone (84%) and 83% believing it should be funded primarily through taxation (83%). 

Those polled strongly favoured the current NHS model over a system of social health insurance or additional user charges.

Just 9% of those surveyed thought the Government had the right policies for the NHS with 54% believing the standard of care provided by NHS services will worsen in the coming year.