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Public dissatisfaction with the NHS has risen because of long waits to see a GP or be given a hospital appointment and lack of staff and funding, according to a report[1]
published by the King’s Fund think tank on 9 February 2016.
The number of people who felt dissatisfied with the health service in 2015 rose by 8 percentage points to 23% — the biggest single-year increase since the British Social Attitudes Survey began in 1983.
Some 60% of people questioned said they were satisfied with the NHS, 10 percentage points below the 70% satisfaction peak recorded by the same survey in 2010.
Quality of care was given as the main reason for satisfaction by 62% of people questioned; care being free at the point of use was important to 59% of the public; and the range of services available was a reason for satisfaction given by 54%.
GP services continued to be the NHS service that most people are satisfied with (69%), but the figure is at its lowest point since 1983.
Satisfaction levels with hospital services are not much different compared with previous years. Some 66% are satisfied with outpatient services, 58% are satisfied with inpatient services and 53% said they were satisfied with A&E care.
The survey carried out by NatCen Social Research took place between July 2015 and October 2015. It involved a nationally representative sample of more than 2,000 people who were asked about their satisfaction with the NHS overall; 1,000 were quizzed about their specific satisfaction with individual NHS services.
References
[1] John Appleby & Ruth Robertson. Public satisfaction with the NHS in 2015. Results and trends from the British Social Attitudes survey. The Kings Fund. 2016.
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