UK health service ratings fall faster than any other country

Six years ago, 73% of Brits described the quality of healthcare available to them and their family as “good”, the highest out of 24 countries.

Today that figure is just 54%, and Britain has fallen to 9th position.

The vast majority of Brits (79%) say the healthcare system in Britain is ‘overstretched’. Only the French and Italians are more alarmed.

We see a glimmer of positive news in the 22% who expect to see health services to improve over the coming years. That’s up from just 8% back in 2018. And the proportion saying the quality of healthcare is “good”, while much lower than before the pandemic, has risen by three percentage points since last year. But, overall, the mood remains cautious: 34% expect things to get worse, with access to treatment/long waiting times front and centre of people’s minds.

The top health issue facing the country, according to Britons, is mental health, singled out by 50%. Cancer follows closely behind (mentioned by 45%), while 35% are concerned about obesity.

British people – alongside those in most other countries – see our mental health and our physical health to be equally important these days: 79% hold this view. But only 35% feel the NHS gives parity to mental and physical health. They are outnumbered by the 44% who say physical wellbeing gets more attention, compared with just 12% who say mental health gets the upper hand.

This year’s report finds GLP-1 drugs entering the mainstream. Some 64% of Brits say they’ve heard of brands like Ozempic, Wegovy, Zepbound, Rybelsus or Mounjaro; only the Americans, Canadians and Dutch show higher levels of awareness.

If GLP-1s are part of the solution, the feeling is they may only take us part of the way there. Asked about what they think is likely to happen over the next ten years, 47% of Britons expect to see a rise in obesity levels, well ahead of the 17% who anticipate the problem to ease.

Commenting on the findings, Simon Atkinson, Ipsos’ Chief Knowledge Officer says:

We’ve known for many years just how close the NHS is to Britons’ hearts. What this survey does is place us in the international context. Our days of being in top spot in the satisfaction stakes are over. While this year’s results show signs of some stabilisation, the British remain apprehensive at what the future may hold for an NHS which eight in ten of say is ‘overstretched’.

For the full 30-country findings, follow this link.
Past editions: 2024; 2023; 2022; 2021; 2020; 2018