Public satisfaction with the NHS stabilised last year after a record fall in 2011, according to British Social Attitudes survey data published by The King’s Fund.
Satisfaction with the way the NHS runs now stands at 61%, the third highest level since the British Social Attitudes survey began in 1983. This follows a record fall in satisfaction, from 70% in 2010 to 58% in 2011, when the survey coincided with the first year in a four year NHS spending squeeze and sustained media coverage about the Government’s NHS reforms. The 2012 findings suggest that public concern about these issues may have levelled off. The survey also measured satisfaction with individual services. Satisfaction with A&E services increased by 5% from 54% to 59%, while satisfaction with outpatient services (64%) and inpatient services (52%) showed no real change from 2011. Satisfaction with GP services (74%) and dentists (56%) are also unchanged. In contrast to the high levels of satisfaction with the NHS, satisfaction with social care services was much lower, at only 30%. Unlike in most previous years, satisfaction was consistent across the political spectrum, standing at 64% among Conservative and Labour supporters, and 63% among Liberal Democrats. This represents a levelling off of satisfaction among supporters of the governing parties but a seven percentage point increase in satisfaction among those who identify themselves as Labour supporters. John Appleby, chief economist at The King’s Fund, said: “The British Social Attitudes survey has provided an important barometer of how the public views the NHS since 1983. With no real change in satisfaction with the NHS in 2012, this suggests the record fall in 2011 was not a blip and that the ground lost may take some time to recover.”
