NHS 75: Just over half of adults in Britain satisfied with healthcare system

The age group with the highest level of satisfaction was people aged 75 and over, at 59.3%.

Just over half of GB adults surveyed are satisfied with the healthcare system in the UK, according to new research by the Office for National Statistics (Jordan Pettitt/PA) (PA Wire)

A little more than half of people are satisfied with the healthcare system in the UK, new data has suggested on the 75th anniversary of the NHS.

The research comes from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), which has published the first results of new research on insights into what people say matters most in life.

The data covers a range of measures including how satisfied people in Great Britain are with public services ranging from police to education.

Some 53.9% of people surveyed between May 17 and June 11 said they tended to be satisfied with the UK’s healthcare system, dropping to 46.6% among 25 to 34-year-olds.

The age group with the highest level of satisfaction was people aged 75 and over, at 59.3%.

Across the regions of England, satisfaction was lowest in the West Midlands at 44.7% and highest in Yorkshire & the Humber at 61.0%.

In Wales the level was 53.3% and in Scotland it was 61.4%.

It is the first time the ONS has asked this question as part of its regular opinions and lifestyle survey, which means there are no previous figures for comparison.

Other findings showed that a majority (86.5%) of those surveyed said they have made at least some changes to their lifestyle to help tackle environmental issues.

Less than two-thirds (63.5%) of people said they tend to be satisfied with the police in the UK, while just over half (56.2%) tend to be satisfied with the courts and legal system.

Some 60.7% agreed or strongly agreed that people from different backgrounds get on well together in their local area.

Around two-thirds (66.7%) said they tend to be satisfied with the education system in the UK.

Tim Vizard, from the ONS, said: “We have been exploring people’s wellbeing for over a decade now to understand how society is changing and what matters most to people.

“A lot has changed over the last 10 years, including most recently the coronavirus pandemic and increases to the cost of living. Today we have published new insights to reflect what matters to people across the UK.

“Measuring how we are doing as a society goes beyond economic measures and capturing this is a vital part of our work, looking beyond measures such as GDP.”