Welsh NHS Confederation responds to latest British Social Attitudes survey on public satisfaction with the NHS

Responding to the analysis of the latest British Social Attitudes survey by the Nuffield Trust and The King’s Fund, director of the Welsh NHS Confederation Darren Hughes said:

“These findings showing a decline in the public’s satisfaction with the NHS and social care and make for difficult reading. This is despite the best efforts of staff across the breadth of the system to work together and give their all in challenging circumstances. 

“Despite satisfaction dropping, it’s clear there is enduring support for the NHS, with a large majority (over 75%) continuing to support the founding principles – healthcare for all, free at the point of need. Politicians of all parties should take heed of this and work with health and care leaders to plan and invest for the future.

“The majority of every party’s supporters felt too little or far too little money was spent on the NHS, with 72% disagreeing or strongly disagreeing that there are enough staff in the NHS. This shows the public want to see our NHS sufficiently resourced.

“In order to meet current and future challenges, the NHS needs the right support and resources from government to deliver today and make the changes we need for tomorrow. The higher proportion of people in Wales dissatisfied with the NHS and social care means it’s more important than ever that the next Welsh Government takes action to drive improvements and work with health and care leaders to meet the needs of the population, while being honest with the public about the scale of the challenge ahead.

“We are also hopeful that the recent improvements in waiting lists in Wales could lead to public satisfaction increasing, but our members are under no illusions that the road to recovering services will be a long and hard one in the present climate.

“We need capital investment to boost productivity and a stable social care system to support people, prevent hospital admissions and ensure timely discharge. We also need a shift in focus to community and primary care and a long-term plan for the health and social care workforce.

“The Welsh NHS Confederation is engaging with political parties to highlight opportunities and solutions to improve health and care provision in times of financial restraint. Unless the next Welsh Government addresses these key issues, we cannot expect the transformation of services people so clearly want and need to see.”