Public dissatisfaction with dentistry is higher than with any other NHS service, with only one in five people satisfied with how it runs.
These are the latest results of the British Social Attitudes (BSA) survey, published by the Nuffield Trust and The King’s Fund.
The survey has revealed that NHS dentistry satisfaction levels have ‘continued to collapse’, falling by 40% since 2019.
In addition, the public is ‘deeply unhappy’ with the NHS overall, as the health service reaches its highest level of dissatisfaction since the survey began in 1983.
Just 21% said they were satisfied with how the NHS runs – a 39% decrease from pre-pandemic levels. Six in 10 (59%) also said they were ‘very’ or ‘quite’ dissatisfied with the NHS. As recently as 2023, this was at 52%.
This survey is seen as ‘a gold-standard measure of public attitudes in Britain’.
Other findings include:
- Just 12% of people were satisfied with A&E waiting times and 23% with GP waiting times
- The public is concerned about NHS staffing and spending, with only 11% agreeing that ‘there are enough staff in the NHS these days’
- A majority of 69% said the government spends ‘too little’ or ‘far too little’ on the NHS
- Some 46% would opt to increase taxes and raise NHS spending, if forced to choose, while 41% would keep them the same.
Bea Taylor, report author and fellow at The Nuffield Trust, said: ‘Just five years after the British public were called on to “Protect the NHS” at the start of the pandemic, these findings reveal just how dismayed they are about the state of the NHS today. We found that every group in Britain is dissatisfied with access to vital services such as A&E and GP appointments.
‘The government says the NHS is broken, and the public agree. But support for the core principles of the NHS – free at the point of use, available to all and funded by taxation – endures despite the collapse in satisfaction.
‘Harnessing this support and fixing the foundations of the NHS must be central to the government’s forthcoming reform programme.’
Sobering results
The British Dental Association (BDA) has said these survey findings must spur action from the government on its promised reform of the ‘struggling service’.
BDA chair Eddie Crouch commented: ‘Satisfaction in NHS dentistry is at an all-time low. What we need from government is a proportionate response.’
Dan Wellings is a senior fellow at The King’s Fund. He said: ‘The latest results lay bare the extent of the problems faced by the NHS and the size of the challenge for the government. While the results are sobering, they should not be surprising. For too many people the NHS has become difficult to access: how can you be satisfied with a service you can’t get into?
‘In 2010, seven out of ten people were satisfied with the NHS – it is now down to only one in five. The scale of the decline over the last few years has been dramatic.
‘The results show that people do not want a different funding model, but they do want the NHS to start working for them again and they want it to have the staff and the money it needs to ensure that happens. The public are also clear that the NHS needs to get better at spending the money it does get more efficiently.
‘The government’s focus on bringing down hospital waiting lists may address one area of the public’s concerns, but this year’s BSA shows that all areas are flashing red, particularly A&E. Voters are impatient for change and ministers will need to demonstrate rapid improvement. But that should not come at the cost of the bigger, whole-system reforms that are needed to create a truly sustainable health service.
‘These results will form the baseline from which the new Labour government’s reform plans to “fix” the NHS will be judged.’
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