Public Satisfaction With The NHS Plummets
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- Published: Monday, 03 April 2023 09:24
- Written by Guy Tuggle
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The former Chancellor of the Exchequer, Nigel Lawson, famously said that "the NHS is the closest thing the English have to a religion" and when it comes to support for the NHS as an institution, public approval remains rock solid with over 90% of us confirming the importance we attach to the NHS being ’free at the point of use’ and over 80% agreeing that the NHS should be ’taxpayer funded and available to all’ (something NHS dentistry can scarcely claim).
Unfortunately, that same public has told the latest British Social Attitudes (’BSA’) Survey that its satisfaction levels have hit rock bottom. At 29% ’the public now reports the lowest level of satisfaction with the NHS since the BSA survey began in 1983. Dissatisfaction is also at an all-time high, with over half (51%) of respondents saying they were dissatisfied with the NHS’.
The survey was conducted by the National Centre for Social Research in September and October 2022 with the results analysed by the Nuffield Trust and The King’s Fund.
The report is called Public Satisfaction with the NHS and Social Care 2022 and it makes for uncomfortable reading.
’Satisfaction with NHS dentistry fell to a record low of 27% and dissatisfaction increased to a record high of 42%. 24% of respondents said they were ’very dissatisfied’ with NHS dentistry - a higher proportion than for other health and care services asked about in the survey.’
Other highlights include over two-thirds (69%) of respondents identifying long waits for GP and hospital appointments for incurring their dissatisfaction whilst 40% were dissatisfied with A&E services. Only 30% of respondents claimed to be satisfied with A&E. ’Improving A&E waiting times’ was identified as a priority by 47% of the survey’s 3362 respondents.
Jessica Morris, report author and Fellow at the Nuffield Trust said "This 2022 British Social Attitudes survey points to a sustained and worsening concern about every part of the health service. What’s more, for some key services waiting times are now worse than when the survey was conducted."
Seizing on the promises made by the Prime Minister Ms Morris added "It is clear that the level of unhappiness amongst the British public over the way the NHS is running is going to take many years to recover."
And in comments that are as relevant to dentistry as they are to the entire NHS Dan Wellings, Senior Fellow at The King’s Fund said "In 2010, satisfaction with the NHS stood at a record high of 70%. Yet, satisfaction has now plummeted to its lowest level at just 29%. the public can see for themselves the results of more than a decade of underfunding and a lack of workforce planning."
"Even with satisfaction dropping to its lowest ever level, support for the founding principles of the NHS remains strong. the public do not want a different model of healthcare, they just want the current model to work."
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