NHS Satisfaction Levels at Highest for 25 Years
A survey published last month by the National Centre for Social Research showed that satisfaction levels with the NHS are at their highest for 25 years. Over half of respondents were ‘very satisfied’ or ‘quite satisfied’ with the NHS, up from 34% ten years ago. The survey found that recent users of the NHS reported the highest rates of satisfaction.
In part this is down to specialized action that has been taken recently in relation to specific health problems. In January the Department of Health moved to abolish NHS prescription charges for cancer patients. And as the average age of the UK population continues to rise, the new National Dementia Strategy will put £150 million into increasing awareness of the condition and establishing a network of specialist services across the country.
But the real key to improving people’s experience of the NHS has been in improving their access to services. The past decade has seen funding for the NHS treble to almost £100bn, and has brought great increases in staff numbers. In part the aim of this increased investment was cutting down waiting times, which in 1997 were commonly over 18 months. The strategy has worked. The target of getting everyone treated within 18 weeks was achieved in each of the final four months of last year.
The Government is also working to reduce health inequality by giving people better access to their GP surgeries. The move last year to encourage all surgeries to open some evenings and weekends was controversial to start with, but it has proved popular with patients. By the end of last year three in four of Newcastle’s GP surgeries had improved opening hours for their patients.
The NHS is the envy of the world, but we can never stop working to make it better still. By continuing to invest in healthcare, and by continuing to shape services to the needs of patients, we can make sure that more and more people are happy with the treatment they’re getting.