Analysis by the Nuffield Trust and The King’s Fund of data from the British Social Attitudes survey shows satisfaction with NHS dentistry has fallen from 60% as recently as 2019 to just 20% last year. Dissatisfaction levels (55%) are the highest for any specific NHS service asked about.
The news forms just part of wider research into NHS patient satisfaction. Public satisfaction with the NHS as a whole is also at a record low, with the deepest level of dissatisfaction found in A&E, GP care, as well as dentistry.
“Only 21% of British adults are satisfied with the health service, a drop from 24% last year, while dissatisfaction climbed to 59% from 52%. A dramatic decline in satisfaction is evident, falling from 70% in 2010 (the last Labour government’s final year) and 60% in 2019 (before the pandemic).
Mark Dayan, a policy analyst at the Nuffield Trust thinktank, which analysed the data alongside the King’s Fund, said the years since 2019 have seen. “It is by far the most dramatic loss of confidence in how the NHS runs that we have seen in 40 years of this survey.”
“The latest results lay bare the extent of the problems faced by the NHS and the size of the challenge for the government”, said Dan Wellings, a senior fellow at the King’s Fund. “For too many people, the NHS has become too difficult to access. How can you be satisfied with a service you can’t get into?”
The British Dental Association has said the latest data must spur action from Government on promised reform of the struggling service. BDA Chair Eddie Crouch said: “Satisfaction in NHS dentistry is at an all-time low. What we need from Government is a proportionate response.”
