Recent surveys found that 47% of the public have a negative view of the NHS with the majority commenting on deterioration of care and having pessimistic views on what the future holds for the UK healthcare system. Almost two-thirds of respondents believe NHS standards will continue to decline. Patients listed their priorities including reducing workload pressure on existing staff, improving waiting times and increasing the workforce [1].

Waiting lists for elective procedures continue to grow with backlogs from the COVID-19 pandemic and recent industrial action [2]. Whilst there is published acknowledgement of public frustrations regarding delayed elective cases, there is no information available on the amount of time they perceive their surgeons to operate and what they would desire in an ideal world. Our survey evaluates the public's insight on the proportion of a surgeon's working week they expect is spent performing elective surgery and compares these findings to what occurs in reality. Based on a recent survey published investigating the latter, the number of days spent operating electively has diminished for multiple factors including the European Working Time Directive (EWTD) and increasing pressures on emergency workload [3].

Striving to meet expectations of our service-users is vital given our patients are the centre of care and we should maintain their trust in their NHS and doctors. We hope our survey can represent the voices of those we serve and urge healthcare employers to review job plans of consultants to reflect both the publics’ expectations and priorities of surgeons. Previous studies found trainee surgeons prioritise operating time to develop or maintain skills over administration or ward work [3,4], which has been gradually reduced over the years to pave way for teaching, research, clinics and other clinical activities.