NHS Public Satisfaction Shows First Increase Since 2019 Amid Ongoing Challenges
Public satisfaction with the National Health Service has risen for the first time since 2019, according to the latest British Social Attitudes survey. The proportion of voters in Great Britain satisfied with how the NHS operates increased from a record low of 21% last year to 26% currently. Simultaneously, dissatisfaction with the health service fell by 8%, representing the most significant drop since 1998, although it remains high at 51%.
Health Secretary Hails Progress While Acknowledging Persistent Issues
Health Secretary Wes Streeting welcomed the findings as evidence that the NHS, which he described as "broken" when Labour assumed power in July 2024, is now "on the road to recovery." Streeting will highlight these improvements in a speech on Wednesday, where he will outline plans to enhance care at five underperforming health trusts. These organizations face potential leadership changes, with bosses possibly being replaced by service veterans, and failing trusts could merge with more successful ones under a new "NHS intensive recovery program" launching next month.
Survey Reveals Mixed Results Across Healthcare Services
The comprehensive survey of 3,400 people across England, Scotland, and Wales revealed only fragile improvements in NHS performance twenty-one months after Labour took office. Key findings include:
- Only 22% of respondents expressed satisfaction with A&E and dental services
- GP services and hospital care received slightly better ratings at 36% and 37% satisfaction respectively
- Just 50% are satisfied with the overall quality of NHS care
- Only 16% believe the NHS will improve over the next five years
- Satisfaction with social care stands at a mere 14%
Waiting Times Remain Primary Source of Public Frustration
Delays in accessing care continue to drive public dissatisfaction, with most people expressing unhappiness about waiting times:
- 66% are dissatisfied with A&E waiting times (only 14% satisfied)
- 63% are dissatisfied with hospital care delays
- 58% are dissatisfied with GP appointment waiting times
Mark Dayan, head of public affairs at the Nuffield Trust, noted that while the satisfaction increase represents "a glimmer on the horizon, the public mood remains dark." He emphasized that current satisfaction levels would have been considered catastrophic in the 2010s and remain worse than during the 1990s, when public unhappiness with the NHS was already widespread.
Government Priorities Versus Public Concerns
The Westminster government's primary NHS pledge focuses on returning to 92% of patients on waiting lists in England being seen within eighteen weeks by 2029. However, the British Social Attitudes survey revealed that the public's top two priorities differ significantly: faster access to GP appointments and quicker treatment in A&E departments.
Dan Wellings, a senior fellow at The King's Fund, observed that "frustration with waiting times remains deeply embedded, and many people still feel that access to NHS care is difficult. Either it's too hard to get through the front door or they are in a queue that barely moves."
Targeted Improvement Efforts at Struggling Trusts
The five NHS trusts identified for intensive improvement efforts include:
- North Cumbria Integrated Care Trust
- Mid and South Essex Trust
- Hull University Teaching Hospitals Trust
- Northern Lincolnshire and Goole Trust
- East Kent Hospitals Trust
Streeting emphasized the government's commitment to continued progress, stating: "The biggest drop in dissatisfaction since 1998 doesn't happen by accident. It is thanks to the government's investment and modernisation, all of which has been hard fought but is now delivering results." He noted that the hospital care backlog is shrinking, more patients are being seen in A&E within four hours, and ambulance response times to 999 calls are improving.
The health secretary concluded with determination: "The NHS is on the road to recovery, but there's a lot of road ahead. My foot is pressing down on the accelerator and I won't stop until the job is done."
