More than half of the public is unhappy with the NHS, polling shows, with a doubling in dissatisfaction in just two years, and warnings of a “tipping point” from which it is hard to recover. The Telegraph has the story.
The British Social Attitudes survey, which has tracked public opinion since 1983, found satisfaction with the health service has reached an all-time low, fuelled by concerns about long waits in A&E and access to GPs.
For the first time, the majority of the public are dissatisfied with the NHS, the poll found – with the lowest ratings for every aspect of healthcare examined.
Overall, 51% of those polled said they were dissatisfied with the NHS – more than twice the 25% recorded in 2020.
Researchers said the survey, involving 3,362 people from England, Wales and Scotland paints a “troubling” and “depressing” picture of the NHS.
Data from the poll, analysed by the Nuffield Trust and The King’s Fund think tanks show difficulties accessing appointments were the greatest concern.
Just 29% said they were satisfied with the NHS – the lowest level since the survey began, down from an all time high of 70% in 2010.
Some 69% of those polled said it takes too long to get a GP or hospital appointment, while 55% said that there are not enough NHS staff and 50% said the Government does not spend enough money on the NHS.
Regardless of party political affiliation, those polled were less satisfied with the NHS under the current Government, than with any other administration since the survey in 1983.
Dan Wellings, senior fellow at the Kings Fund, urged ministers to “sit up and take notice” adding: “This should ring loud, continuous alarm bells in the corridors of power. This is as bad as I’ve ever seen in an NHS survey.”
“There are 1.4 million staff telling everyone that will listen that it is difficult right now. Everyone is hearing the experiences of friends and family… when you have reached that tipping point it is very hard to recover.”
Worth reading in full.
The high level of demand on the health service that is at the root of the ongoing crisis is most likely a consequence of the fallout from lockdown, harms from the experimental vaccines and possibly post-Covid effects. Insofar as it is the first two, it is a direct result of the unprecedented responses to the relatively mild (mortality rate well below 0.5%) COVID-19 virus. Yet still our governments plan to do it all again in response to future viral threats – and the public backs it. Madness.
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