NHS Confederation responds to survey showing continued fall in satisfaction with the NHS

Responding to the latest British Social Attitudes (BSA) survey from the King's Fund and Nuffield Trust, which shows public satisfaction with the NHS is at its record lowest, Dr Layla McCay, policy director at the NHS Confederation, said:

“While these findings will be a blow to those working in the NHS, unfortunately they are of little surprise given the survey was conducted at time when the new government was communicating how “broken” the NHS was and when waiting lists were so high. There have been improvements since this time including to how patients access GP appointments and to the backlog of elective procedures coming down for five consecutive months. 

“However, many staff recognise that despite everything they are doing, the standard of care they are providing can sometimes fall short of what they would like to provide for their patients. Both patients and staff can clearly see the impact that more than a decade of being starved of capital funding has had on the health service, including dilapidated buildings and outdated equipment.

“The government has been clear that improving the NHS is a key priority and there is hope for the future with the 10 Year Plan, but delivering this transformation will take time. There is no quick fix given the scale of demand for services, the need for local services to deliver eye-watering efficiency savings which will require some cuts to services and the latest developments that will require ICSs and trusts to reduce their running costs. Local services are facing major upheaval as they continue to try to improve performance.

“While it will be important for health leaders to take note of these findings, this should be done alongside reviewing feedback from their own patients and wider local communities who have direct experience of interacting with their services.”