Satisfaction with GP services at highest level since pandemic, national survey finds

Public satisfaction with GP services has risen over the past year, and is at the highest level since 2021 – bucking the downward trend of the past few years.

The latest British Social Attitudes Survey (BSA) found that overall satisfaction with GP services was 35%, though noted that this was not a ‘statistically significant change’ from the 31% recorded in 2024.

The survey revealed that just over a quarter of respondents (26%) were ‘very’ or ‘quite’ satisfied with the way in which the NHS runs – up six percentage points from 2024.

According to the survey analysis, two-thirds (66%) of respondents said that the Government was spending ‘too little’ or ‘far too little’ on the NHS. Only 13% of respondents agreed that ‘the NHS spends the money it has efficiently’.

The survey, published today by the Nuffield Trust and the King’s Fund, also revealed that dissatisfaction levels with the NHS had dropped by its biggest margin since 1998.

Health secretary Wes Streeting welcomed the increase in satisfaction with the NHS, saying that the healthcare system was ‘on the road to recovery’ but that there still remained a way to go. 

He said: ‘When this Government came to office, I said that, while the NHS was broken, it wasn’t beaten. Patients are beginning to feel the change and the NHS is showing that things can get better.

‘The biggest drop in dissatisfaction since 1998 doesn’t happen by accident. It is thanks to the government’s investment and modernisation- all of which has been hard fought but is now delivering results.

‘Waiting lists are the lowest they’ve been in three years, more patients in A&E are seen within four-hours than for four years, and ambulance response times are the fastest for five years.

‘The NHS is on the road to recovery, but there’s a lot of road ahead. My foot is pressing down on the accelerator and I won’t stop until the job is done.’

Mr Streeting today also announced the launch of the NHS Intensive Recovery programme, targeting the ‘worst performing trusts’ in England in an attempt to bring them back up to standard.

The scheme has identified providers which face significant structural challenges – such as long waiting times or high leadership turnover – in a move away from a ‘one size fits all’ approach. The identified trusts will receive a ‘tailored improvement approach’, designed collaboratively with local leadership.

The first wave of the NHS Intensive Recovery programme will begin next month, with the following trusts facing measures: 

• North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust
• Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust
• Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
• Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust 
• East Kent Hospitals NHS Trust

The BSA survey revealed that improving A&E waiting times and improving waiting times for planned operations were also priorities for respondents – 46% and 45% respectively. 

The health secretary said that the new programme would bring in its ‘best leaders’ to deliver the structural changes necessary to get care back up to standard, adding that there would be ‘no more turning a blind eye to failure’.

Access to GP appointments equally remained a crucial issue for the public, with 46% of respondents selecting ‘making it easier to get a GP appointment’ as priority for the NHS.

RCGP chair Professor Victoria Tzortziou Brown acknowledged the frustration that patients felt in securing appointments with their GP.

She said: ‘Demand for GP services continues to outstrip capacity, and when patients face challenges accessing care, that understandably affects overall perception, even though once people are seen, satisfaction tends to be high.

‘General practice is the front door to the NHS, delivering the vast majority of patient contacts and keeping people well in their communities. 

‘If we are to improve both access and patient experience further, we need sustained investment in general practice, alongside urgent action to grow and retain the GP workforce so we can meet rising demand and deliver the care our patients need.’

Over half of respondents (58%) in the BSA survey said they were ‘very’ or ‘quite’ dissatisfied with the time it takes to get an appointment at a GP practice. 

Professor Tzortziou Brown emphasised that GP practices were delivering ‘record numbers of appointments’ of over a million a day – but added that the workforce had not increased to match demand.

The BSA survey was carried out between 26 August and 6 October last year, and asked a nationally representative sample of 3,464 people (across England, Scotland and Wales) about their satisfaction with the NHS and adult social care services overall, and 1,460 people about their satisfaction with specific NHS services, as well as their views on NHS priorities, principles and funding.