Public satisfaction with the NHS and social care in 2022: Results from the British Social Attitudes survey

The King's Fund in the United Kingdom undertakes an annual survey of consumer satisfaction with the services by National Health Services (the equivalent of Local Health Networks in Australia). This is a useful document for rural and remote people to read because there is no comparable independent survey conducted of Australian hospital services. In Australia, reliance is placed on the Patient Experience Questionnaire which asks people who have been in hospital about their experience. This survey generally paints a positive picture of hospital services. But this is the views of people who are admitted to hospital for an acute condition (stroke, heart attack, painful hip replacement). This doesn't tell us the views of the community generally about quality or accessibility of services provided by hospitals, including people who leave hospital because they have been unable to receive a service in a timely way; who leave because of discrimination or bullying; patients who die or suffer serious disability; and members of the community who never attended the hospital because of a past experience, the cost or lack of available and affordable transport. Recent public inquiries into health care in rural communities suggests a high degree of dissatisfaction with hospital services, including allegations of bullying, harassment and discrimination against patients and whistleblower staff. An independent national survey of community attitudes and perceptions of local hospitals such as the one conducted by the King's Fund may help to reduce entrenched cultural problems in hospitals by exposing community concerns before they escalate into a full public inquiry.