The NHS should concentrate on reducing waiting lists for all treatments, a major survey of public opinion to coincide with the BBC's NHS Day has found.

More than 1,000 people were asked about their top priority for the health service from a list of 32 options.

The most common answer was the reduction of waiting lists for heart and cancer care.

Reducing waiting lists for other treatments came second.

Other priorities included:

• NHS funded long term care for the elderly
• expanded cancer screening programmes
• more pay for NHS staff
• the ability to see a GP within 48 hours
• the provision of drugs on medical, rather than expense grounds
• cleaner hospitals
• more medical research
• more money to help the mentally ill
• improve A&E
• free eye care for all

Many people also thought that efforts should be focused at ensuring patients no longer have to wait on trolleys for a hospital bed to become free.

An increase in nurses' pay was rated as a top priority by significantly more people than an increase in doctors' pay.

Some 75% of those surveyed said increasing hospital consultants' pay was not a priority, compared with just 24% who said the same about nurses' pay.

Unpopular areas

Areas rated as a top priority by the fewest people included abolishing mixed sex wards; increasing access to alternative medicine; refurbishing hospitals; and fixing hospital appointments for the convenience of the patient.

There was also little support for the idea that the NHS should focus on using spare capacity in private hospitals to carry out NHS work. Some 63% of those surveyed said it should not be a priority.

Neither did the public think that health education campaigns should be a top priority.

Two-thirds of people surveyed said that extending the telephone helpline NHS Direct should not be a priority.

Six out of ten disagreed with the idea of prioritising access to NHS fertility treatment, and a massive 89% were opposed to prioritising the availability of cosmetic surgery on the NHS.

Top five

During NHS Day, BBC viewers and listeners will be asked to chose their top priority from the list of 12 produced by the poll. This will eventually be whittled down to a list of five.

Click here for details of how to vote

The results will be put to the prime minister on Wednesday evening in a debate on the future of the health service.

Health Secretary Alan Milburn said the findings chimed with the aims set out in the government's NHS plan.

"In the past we have sometimes been criticised for setting waiting times targets for hospital treatment or to see a GP.

"This poll shows that, as we said in the NHS Plan, waiting is the public's top concern."

ICM carried out face-to-face interviews with 1,124 adults between 22 January and 3 February.

The interviews were conducted in 92 randomly selected parliamentary constituencies.