Public satisfaction with the NHS has dropped to its lowest ever level, according to a major new survey. And dissatisfaction with the service has doubled in the last two years as people struggle to access services and believe there are not enough staff to deliver high quality care.
While the public stands unabashedly proud of the service and what it stands for, just over a quarter (29%) said they were satisfied with how the service runs, according to the 2022 British Social Attitudes survey. This is the lowest level since the survey began in 1983 and a major drop since 2010 when 70% said they were satisfied with the NHS.
Data from the poll of 3,362 people from England, Wales and Scotland, analysed by the Nuffield Trust and The King’s Fund think tanks, also show that overall dissatisfaction with the way the NHS is run increased to 51% – the highest level since the survey began. This figure has doubled in just two years, with dissatisfaction over the NHS recorded at 25% in 2020.
