Public satisfaction with NHS at lowest ever level

Public satisfaction with the NHS has dropped again, setting a new low recorded by the long-running British Social Attitudes survey.

Just 24% said they were satisfied with the NHS in 2023, with waiting times and staff shortages the biggest concerns.

That is five percentage points down on last year and a drop from the 2010 high of 70% satisfaction.

The poll – the gold-standard measure of the public’s view of the health service – has been running since 1983.

More than 3,000 people were polled by the National Centre for Social Research across England, Wales and Scotland in the autumn.

The findings on the NHS, published by the Nuffield Trust and King’s Fund think tanks, show once again that performance has deteriorated after a new record low was seen last year.

In total, since 2020, satisfaction has fallen by 29 percentage points.

Of the core services, the public was least satisfied with A&E and dentistry.

The survey also showed satisfaction with social care had fallen to 13% – again the lowest since the survey began.

The major reasons for dissatisfaction were long waiting times, staffing shortages and lack of funding.

When asked about government choices on tax and spending on the NHS, 48% backed increasing taxes and spending more on the NHS, but 42% preferred to keep taxes and spending the same and 6% backed reducing taxes and spending less.

Those with the highest incomes were more likely to want to increase taxes and spend more.

Samuel Wilson, 45, who lives in Worthing, West Sussex, has been left unable to work due to mobility and pain problems following two hip replacements.

He is now awaiting further treatment. “I can’t walk very far without excruciating pain,” he says.

“I feel let down. The NHS is there to help you, not make things worse. I feel they have treated me disdainfully. The nurses are polite, I’ve found, and even my surgeon.

“But they are not providing the level of care required. And they know they are not providing the level of care required but trying to deal with them is like banging your head against a brick wall.”

Jessica Morris, from the Nuffield Trust, said the findings were worrying.

“As we approach a general election, political parties should be frank and realistic about the challenges ahead of them if they are to turn this situation around.    

“Despite such low levels of satisfaction, the public continue to back the principles underpinning the NHS.

“The public has not fallen out of love with the idea of a publicly funded, free-at-the-point-of-use NHS, but they are losing confidence that it will support them and their loved ones in the best possible way when they need it.”

The Patients Association said it was “dismayed” by the survey results.

And Royal College of Nursing general secretary Prof Pat Cullen said: “Enough is enough”.

“Voters must now make NHS and care services the central issue of the general election,” she said.

“An NHS that was once a world-leader is now treating patients in corridors, doorways, and store cupboards. The status quo has become intolerable.”

But a Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said progress was being made, with some signs that the waiting list was falling, while investment was being made in key areas, such as GPs.

“We are fully committed to a faster, simpler and fairer NHS, free at the point of need,” he said.

A Scottish government spokesperson said other research showed people in Scotland were more satisfied with the way the NHS was run than this survey suggested.

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