Public satisfaction for NHS highest since pre Covid-19 pandemic – but there’s a catch

• Public satisfaction with the NHS rose by five percentage points to 26% in the latest British Social Attitudes Survey, marking the first increase since before the Covid-19 pandemic.
• Despite this overall rise, experts caution that the improvements are 'fragile' and public satisfaction remains historically low, indicating a 'long way to go' for the health service.
• The survey highlighted a significant generational divide, with younger people under 35 expressing considerably less satisfaction with the NHS compared to those aged 65 and over.
• Political divisions were also evident, showing higher satisfaction among Labour and Liberal Democrat supporters than among those backing Reform UK.
• Most people continue to support the NHS's founding principles of being free at the point of use and funded through taxation, despite some political differences on universal availability.

IN FULL

NHS satisfaction rises for the first time since the pandemic but ‘still a long way to go’