Public satisfaction with NHS drops to 25-year low

Public satisfaction with the NHS has dropped to its lowest level for 25 years after a sharp fall during the pandemic, a survey suggests.

The British Social Attitudes poll, seen as the gold standard measure of public opinion, found 36% of the 3,100 asked were satisfied in 2021.

That is a drop from 53% the year before - the largest fall in a single year.

Only once have satisfaction levels been lower since the poll started in 1983.

That was in 1997, and shortly after that the Blair government started increasing the budget by record amounts.

The public said it was taking too long to get a GP appointment or hospital care, and there was not enough staff.

Satisfaction with GP care and hospital services were both at their lowest levels since the survey began.

The fall in satisfaction was widespread across all age groups and income groups, with political party support having no bearing. More people - 41% - said they were dissatisfied than satisfied.

Satisfaction in social care, which is run by councils, was even lower - just 15% said they were satisfied - with more than half dissatisfied.

The findings of the survey, carried out by the National Centre for Social Research in England, Scotland and Wales last autumn, have been published by the Nuffield Trust and King's Fund think-tanks.

Dan Wellings, senior fellow at the King's Fund, described them as "extraordinary".

He said the NHS initially saw a "halo" effect early on in the pandemic, with satisfaction rates being maintained as the NHS battled through the first wave. But he said it was clear that had now gone.

"People are often struggling to get the care they need. These issues have been exacerbated by the extraordinary events of the past two years, but have been many years in the making following a decade-long funding squeeze, and a workforce crisis that has been left unaddressed for far too long."

It comes as record numbers of people are waiting for hospital treatment - in England more than six million people are on a waiting list.

Saffron Cordery, of NHS Providers, which represents health trusts, said the sharp drop in satisfaction was a "real concern", but was not "altogether surprising" given the pressures posed by the pandemic.

She said tackling staffing shortages was key to addressing the problems.

England, Wales and Scotland have all published Covid recovery plans, promising to reduce waiting times in the coming years.

Ministers have pointed to the extra investment in the health service, with some of the extra money being funded through the increase in national insurance contributions which kicks in next month.