Public satisfaction with the NHS has risen for the first time since 2019, but people remain deeply frustrated with stubbornly long waits to receive GP, A&E or hospital care according to the latest annual British Society Attitudes survey.
The proportion of voters in Britain satisfied with the way the NHS runs has increased from the record low of 21% seen last year to 26%. At the same time dissatisfaction with the health service fell 8% – the biggest drop since 1998 – although it remains high at 51%.
However, delays in accessing care continue to cause public unhappiness. Most people are dissatisfied with the time it takes to get seen in A&E (66%), receive hospital care (63%) and get a GP appointment (58%). Only 14% are satisfied with A&E waiting times.
Mark Dayan, head of public affairs at the Nuffield Trust, said: “These are still numbers that you would have thought were catastrophic in the 2010s. They’re still worse than they were even during the 90s, a period when the public was widely perceived to be very unhappy about the NHS.”
Wes Streeting hailed the findings as proof that the NHS, which he said was “broken” when Labour won power in July 2024, was now “on the road to recovery”.
The health secretary will cite them as evidence of progress in a speech on Wednesday in which he will set out plans to improve care at five badly performing health trusts.
Mark Dayan, head of public affairs at the Nuffield Trust, said: “These are still numbers that you would have thought were catastrophic in the 2010s. They’re still worse than they were even during the 90s, a period when the public was widely perceived to be very unhappy about the NHS.”
The rise in satisfaction “is a glimmer on the horizon, but the public mood remains dark”, he added.
Source: The Guardian, 25 March 2026
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