"The proportion of people saying they were satisfied with the way the NHS is run has fallen from 70 per cent in 2010 to 58 per cent last year – the biggest drop recorded since the survey began almost 30 years ago.
.
Satisfaction in the NHS declined significantly in the mid-1980s and mid-1990s under the Conservatives and rose dramatically under the last decade during the Labour administration.
With the Conservatives back in power, trends have reasserted themselves. As the Daily Telegraph reports:
“The proportion of people saying they were satisfied with the way the NHS is run has fallen from 70 per cent in 2010 to 58 per cent last year – the biggest drop recorded since the survey began almost 30 years ago.”
Lo0king back over the trend of the last 30 years, we can clearly see that NHS approval does appear to be linked to which party is in charge:
In fact net satisfaction fell from +29 in 1983, down to -10 in 1990 and then recovered somewaht until slumping down to -16 in 1997. During Labour’s tenure it rose to an unprecedented +54, only to fall down to close to 1983 levels.
Given this record it is unsuprising that the Tories still lag behind in the polls on which party is best to handle the NHS.
The full data can be found here. The survey has been carried by the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen), as it has most years since 1983, and was commissioned this year by the Kings Fund.
• Cameron’s vetoing of NHS Risk Register release “a desperate act which will backfire badly” 8 May 2012
• Lord Owen: If coalition continue to appeal Risk Register, Bill must be paused 9 March 2012
• Losing the plot: How the Lords rubbished the NHS bill – then voted for it anyway 15 October 2011
• Lansley told to his face why his NHS reforms are wrong, wrong, wrong 14 October 2011
• Ten reasons peers should vote against Lansley’s anti-NHS bill 12 October 2011
To reach hundreds of thousands of new readers and to make the biggest impact we can in the next general election, we need to grow our donor base substantially.
That's why in 2024, we are seeking to generate 150 additional regular donors to support Left Foot Forward's work.
We still need another 124 people to donate to hit the target. You can help. Donate today.
32 Responses to “The two graphs that show why the Tories are not trusted on the NHS”
Linda Burnip
Two simple & clear graphs that show why the Tories are not trusted on the NHS http://t.co/BY0GXtWx
Debbie Jolly
RT @RaviSubbie Two simple & clear graphs that show why the Tories are not trusted on the NHS http://t.co/UPvvOXC1
Alex Braithwaite
RT @leftfootfwd: The two graphs that show why the Tories are not trusted on the NHS http://t.co/1jVkmArx
Janet Edwards
RT @leftfootfwd: The two graphs that show why the Tories are not trusted on the NHS http://t.co/1jVkmArx
Anonymous
What he doesn’t say is that the NHS’s error rate was terrible through the 80’s and early 90’s, improvement only came with the Labour funding surge. The error rate was finally catching up with the OECD average when the Tory disorganization hit it, like so many other things, for six and is now increasing again.
Not to mention the death toll from not being treated would be far higher. But hey, he’s only trying to shut down the NHS.