Satisfaction with the NHS is at the lowest level in 25 years, after an unprecedented drop of 17 percentage points, according to a survey.
More people were dissatisfied with the health service than satisfied for the first time since 2002, the British Social Attitudes Survey showed.
GP services, which traditionally have the highest satisfaction levels, dropped 30 percentage points since 2019, with only 38 per cent of people satisfied when asked late last year. It is the lowest level since the survey began in 1983. Hospital inpatient and outpatient services, dentistry and A&E were also at the lowest level on record.
Experts said the “halo effect” from early in the pandemic was wearing off, as people struggled to access services. “Against a backdrop of record waiting lists for surgery, disruption to services and difficulties getting appointments with a GP, people are concerned about what the NHS can deliver,” said John Appleby of the Nuffield Trust.
The research, published by health think tanks The King’s Fund and the Nuffield Trust, said only 36 per cent of the public in England, Wales and Scotland were satisfied with how the NHS runs, with 41 per cent dissatisfied. The drop was seen across all ages, income groups, sexes, and political parties.
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Asked why, people cited concerns over long waiting times, NHS staff shortages, and inadequate government funding.
Dan Wellings, of The King’s Fund, said access issues were exacerbated by the pandemic but had been “many years in the making after a decade-long funding squeeze and a workforce crisis that has been left unaddressed for far too long”.
Despite this, “the public do not seem to want a different model, they just want the one they have got to work”. Support for the principles of the NHS — free at the point of use, primarily funded through taxation, and available to all — was high, at 94 per cent, 86 per cent and 84 per cent respectively. When asked what they would like the NHS to prioritise, participants suggested making it easier to get a GP appointment, improving waiting times for planned operations and increasing staffing levels.
Satisfaction with social care remained far lower than that with the NHS. Only 15 per cent of people said they were satisfied with social care services in 2021, while 50 per cent were dissatisfied.
Professor Stephen Powis, national medical director of NHS England, said that staff had faced “one of the most challenging years in our 73-year history” but continued to work “flat out”.
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He added: “While the pandemic inevitably had an impact on routine care, the NHS has set out a blueprint to address the Covid-19 backlogs as well as setting out plans to improve GP access and so, anyone who has health concerns should continue to come forward for the care they need.”
The Department of Health and Social Care said: “The pandemic has placed enormous pressure on the NHS. We have set out our plan to tackle the Covid-19 backlog, backed by our record multibillion-pound investment over the next three years.”
