Three quarters of pensioners support tax rises to pay for improvements to NHS, polling has found.

The survey of 2,000 adults also found four in 10 would like to see charges for patients who miss appointments.

The findings came as NHS leaders called for a cash boost for the health service, and pay rises for 1.3 million staff.

But the survey commissioned by PwC found that 53 per cent of the public thought it was more important to hire more staff, rather than to increase pay for existing workers.

The survey, carried out just after the general election, found 66 per cent of those polled were happy to pay more tax if it meant that the quality of the NHS improves.

The highest support came from pensioners.