Health: Public gloom deepens over NHS

Public dissatisfaction with the running of the NHS has risen sharply over the past five years and yesterday's announcement of an extra pounds 300m is unlikely to reverse the growing pessimism, according to a survey.

The proportion of people saying they were dissatisfied with the service rose from 18.4 per cent shortly before the election in 1992 to 28.6 per cent just before the 1997 election. The rise was most marked among professional people and those living in London. The change in public opinion, reported in Health Care UK, the annual review of health policy published by the Kings Fund, reflects unhappiness with the Government's handling of the NHS rather than with the professionals who work for it. Almost every survey ever undertaken shows high levels of satisfaction with GPs.

- Jeremy Laurance