Public satisfaction with GP services has fallen to the lowest level on record, new figures show, as perception of the NHS as a whole dropped to the worst point in 25 years.

Less than two fifths (38 per cent) of people were satisfied with the service from family doctors last year, according to the British Social Attitudes (BSA) survey, the lowest proportion since the survey began in 1983.

It dropped by 30 percentage points compared to 2019 and, for the first time, more people are unhappy (42 per cent) with the service than satisfied.

The unprecedented fall in public satisfaction with GPs comes after patients struggled to access care during the pandemic, particularly face-to-face appointments.

Easier appointments a priority

The top priority for improving the NHS identified by respondents (48 per cent) was to make it easier to get a GP appointment.

Only around a third (36 per cent) of respondents said they were happy with how the NHS was run, the lowest level since 1997. This decreased from 53 per cent in 2019, representing a 32 per cent relative fall.

Around 3,100 people were questioned by the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) in September and October 2021.

Prof John Appleby, director of research and chief economist at the Nuffield Trust, and report co-author, said the record low of satisfaction with individual services was “very striking”.

“The fall in satisfaction is widespread across all age groups and income groups, with political party support having no bearing,” he said.

“Against a backdrop of record waiting lists for surgery, disruption to services and difficulties getting appointments with a GP, people are concerned about what the NHS can deliver. We know that the NHS and social care services face a long and difficult journey to recover performance, and now public satisfaction is rapidly falling too.”