Satisfaction with NHS hits record low, but public still back founding principles

Public satisfaction with the NHS and social care has hit a record low, with overall satisfaction falling for the fifth consecutive year, an analysis has shown.

The latest British Social Attitudes survey, which has been running since the 1980s, was conducted over September and October 2024. An analysis of the survey data by the King’s Fund and the Nuffield Trust found that just one in five people (21%) were now “very” or “quite” satisfied with the NHS.1

This represents a historical low for the NHS since the survey started and is a marked decline from the seven in 10 who were satisfied with the NHS under the last Labour government. Among the 2945 British adults surveyed, satisfaction declined across virtually all NHS services, including record low satisfaction with NHS dentistry (20%), general practice (31%), and emergency departments (19%).

The biggest year-on-year fall was seen …