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Satisfaction with the U.K. public health system has hit an all-time-low as patients face long waits for all manner of care from dentistry to emergency services.
Just 24% of the public is satistied with the National Health Service, according to the 2023 British Social Attitudes Survey, the results of which have been analysed by think tanks the King’s Fund and the Nuffield Trust.
This is a massive drop for a country that’s historically been fiercely proud of it’s free-at-the-point-of-use health service. Back in 2010, satisfaction with the NHS was at 70%; it’s highest level since the survey began in 1983.
In last three years alone, it’s dropped by 29 percentage points. And levels of dissatisfaction have risen markedly over the same period, from 25% in 2020 to 52%.
But despite plummeting levels of satisfaction, the survey showed that most Brits still support the principles behind their health service.
More than 80% of the public believe the NHS should be available to everyone (82%) and primarily funded by taxation. More than 90% think its services should be free of charge to those who use them.
And nearly half (48%) of the public would be in favor of raising taxes to increase funding for the NHS.
Numerous factors are driving poor performance, including longstanding staff shortages and increased demand for servies. Waiting lists for elective care were growing before Covid-19, but these delays were exacerbated by numerous pauses in non-urgent care during the pandemic. They’ve also been worsened by ongoing industrial action.
As the years have gone by, the U.K.’s demographics have shifted. Its population has aged and some public health issues have sharpened. This means increasing numbers of patients are attending healthcare services with more acute and complex needs. This is exacerbated by elective delays, as the longer patients wait for non-urgent care, the more likely it is that some will be sicker when they do attend hospital.
Shortages in social care services are also making it harder to safely discharge vulnerable patients who need support in the community. This keeps bed occupancy high and makes it harder to admit new patients, driving up waits for emergency care.
Slow efforts to upgrade and modernise much of the country’s healthcare estate means some sites experience problems like flooding that further interrupt care. The country’s stock of up-to-date imaging equipment lags behind its peers, but efforts have been made to invest in tech in recent years.
Dentistry is another pressure point, with industry leaders blaming issues with a contract between the NHS and dental practices for pushing dentists away from public practice.
Industry experts say much of the fall in the U.K.’s healthcare performance is down to a lack of funding. As demand has intensified, the number of staff and the quality and availability of space in appropriate facilities has not kept up.
“Rising demand, inadequate funding and a shortage of resources have created immense strain on the system for years. This chronic pressure has been intensified by the pandemic, further financial constraints and industrial action,” Saffron Cordery, deputy chief executive of hospital industry body NHS Providers said in a statement.
“These findings make clear that ahead of a general election, politicians must prioritise the sustainability of the NHS. We need to see sustained investment, including by fully funding the long-term workforce plan and resolving the damaging and disruptive industrial disputes.”
Dr Sarah Clarke, who leads the Royal College of Physicians said public dissatisfaction with the NHS was “symptomatic of a health service stretched to its limits.”
She called for a doubling of medical school placements to shore up the country’s supply of doctors.
“NHS staff are working incredibly hard under extreme pressure,” she added. “It is vital that future investment in the NHS not only goes towards training more staff to meet demand, but also to providing current staff with the support, training and resource they need to retain them and provide the excellent care the NHS is renowned for.”
