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Public dissatisfaction with the NHS has doubled, polling for BMA finds

Dr Mark Porter called for increased funding for the NHS  - Telegraph
Dr Mark Porter called for increased funding for the NHS - Telegraph

 Public dissatisfaction with the NHS has doubled in just two years, amid shortages of doctors, polling by the British Medical Association suggests.

The survey of more than 1,000 adults, carried out on the eve of the BMA’s annual conference, found 43 per cent were unhappy with the state of the health service - compared with 21 per cent, in 2015.

For the first time, annual polls found more people were dissatisfied than satisifed with the NHS, the polling found, with just 33 per cent expressing satisfaction.

The head of the BMA will today accuse ministers of “evasion and failure” and repeat demands for increased funding for the health service, and pay rises for staff.

A poll of 422 doctors meanwhile found 71 per cent said access to care had worsened in the last year, with two in three medics warning of vacancies in their department.

 

Hospital ward - Credit: Peter Byrne
Bed numbers have dropped by a fifth since in ten years Credit: Peter Byrne

In a speech in Bournemouth today,  BMA chairman of council Dr Mark Porter is expected to accuse the Government of "picking the pockets of its staff" as he calls for a funding boost and pay rises.

“Year after year, the government has cut the real-terms pay of doctors, nurses, and other NHS staff,” he is due to say.

The conference opens as the Royal College of Nurses prepares to launch a “summer of protest” against a cap on pay rises.

Earlier this month, the Health Secretary expressed sympathy with calls for pay rises for nurses, indicating plans to discuss the matter with the Chancellor.

Why is the NHS under so much pressure? |
Why is the NHS under so much pressure? |