Millions of UK patients are now questioning whether waiting months for NHS treatment or paying high UK private healthcare prices is their only option. New YouGov research suggests public confidence in European healthcare has never been stronger, with many Britons now believing it offers care that is equal to or better than the NHS. For patients considering hip replacement, knee replacement, spinal surgery or other elective procedures abroad, the findings reflect a significant change in attitudes towards cross-border healthcare.
For generations, one of the NHS’s greatest strengths has been public confidence. While patients have long recognised the pressures facing the health service, many nevertheless believed that the NHS still delivered healthcare that was superior to that available elsewhere in Europe.
New research published by YouGov in 2026 suggests that this perception is changing. According to the polling company’s monthly tracker, which surveys approximately 1,600 to 1,800 adults across Great Britain each month, only around one in six Britons now believes the NHS provides better quality healthcare than healthcare systems elsewhere in Europe.
The latest survey found that just 16% of British adults believe the NHS provides better healthcare than other European countries. By comparison, 28% believe the quality is broadly the same, while 29% believe healthcare elsewhere in Europe is actually better. A further 27% are unsure.
These findings are significant because they suggest a fundamental shift in public attitudes towards cross-border healthcare.
For many years, one of the greatest barriers preventing British patients from seeking treatment abroad was not cost, travel or language. It was confidence. Many simply assumed that travelling overseas for surgery meant accepting a lower standard of healthcare.
That assumption is becoming increasingly difficult to sustain.
Across Europe are internationally accredited hospitals, highly experienced consultant surgeons, modern operating theatres and healthcare systems that routinely treat patients from around the world. Many specialists have trained internationally, publish research in leading medical journals and perform high volumes of complex procedures every year.
At the same time, the pressures facing the NHS remain considerable. NHS England currently reports around 7.2 million treatment pathways on its waiting list, although the true number of individual patients waiting is likely to be closer to nine million. For many patients requiring elective orthopaedic surgery, the challenge is no longer simply accessing excellent care, but accessing it within a clinically appropriate timeframe.
The YouGov findings are therefore particularly relevant. They coincide with growing public recognition that healthcare quality is not determined by geography.
Patients increasingly understand that excellent healthcare exists throughout Europe and that choosing treatment abroad does not mean compromising on clinical standards. Instead, it can mean consultant-led care within weeks, fixed-price Treatment Packages and significant savings compared with UK private healthcare.
For patients considering procedures such as hip replacement, knee replacement, shoulder replacement, ACL reconstruction or spinal surgery, this represents an important change in thinking.
Many European private hospitals are able to provide these procedures at substantially lower prices than equivalent private treatment in the UK while maintaining excellent clinical standards, experienced multidisciplinary teams and modern facilities. When shorter waiting times are combined with meaningful cost savings, the overall proposition becomes increasingly attractive for patients funding their own treatment.
At My Medical Gateway, we believe this reflects a broader evolution in the way patients make healthcare decisions. Rather than assuming that treatment in Britain is automatically superior, patients are becoming more willing to compare hospitals, consultant surgeons, treatment packages and prices across Europe before making an informed choice.
That is precisely why MMG was created. Instead of promoting a single hospital or healthcare group, MMG enables patients to compare carefully selected Accredited Healthcare Providers across Europe using a common framework of published accreditation standards, transparent pricing, fixed-price Treatment Packages and detailed consultant biographies. Every healthcare provider joining the MMG platform must satisfy our published accreditation standards and enter into a legally binding Healthcare Provider Agreement, allowing patients to compare providers on the basis of quality, expertise, location, treatment package and price rather than marketing claims alone.
The latest YouGov research should not be seen as a criticism of the NHS or its many dedicated staff, who continue to deliver care under immense pressure. Rather, it reflects a broader shift in public attitudes.
YouGov’s tracker shows that this change has been developing steadily over the past five years. In May 2021, 39% of Britons believed the NHS provided better healthcare than other European countries, while only 13% thought it was worse. By February 2026, those figures had effectively reversed: only 16% believed the NHS was better, while 29% believed European healthcare was superior. The intervening surveys show the same consistent trend.
Figure 1. YouGov’s five-year tracker shows a marked decline in the proportion of Britons who believe the NHS provides better healthcare than other European countries, alongside a steady increase in those who believe European healthcare is better.
As confidence in European healthcare has grown, patients are asking different questions. Increasingly, the issue is no longer whether treatment abroad can match UK standards, but which hospital offers the best combination of clinical expertise, waiting time, patient experience and value.
At My Medical Gateway, we believe patients deserve that choice. They deserve transparent information, consultant-led care, fixed-price Treatment Packages and the opportunity to compare high-quality healthcare providers across Europe before deciding where to receive treatment.
The latest YouGov findings suggest that an increasing number of Britons agree.
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