Keir Starmer has acknowledged how "frustrating" it can be to book an NHS GP appointment, describing the influx of people calling up at 8am as a "scramble". The British Prime Minister and Labour leader took to X this morning (March 8) to give an update on what the government is doing in a bid to 'deliver more appointments'.

"I know how frustrating it is when you can't get a GP appointment, how fed up everyone is with that 8am scramble", he said. "By cutting red tape and investing in our NHS, we've recruited over 1,500 extra GPs since October. Delivering more appointments and bringing back the family doctor."

According to the Department of Health and Social Care, since October 1, a total of 1,503 GPs have been brought on board following years of "neglect". Labour's election manifesto pledged to train thousands of additional GPs and ensure that face-to-face appointments are available for everyone who desires one. It also aims to implement a modern appointment booking system to eliminate the rush at 8am.

Wes Streeting, the Health Secretary, added: "Rebuilding our broken NHS starts with fixing the front door. We inherited a ludicrous situation where patients couldn't get a GP appointment, while GPs couldn't get a job. By cutting red tape and investing more in our NHS, we have put an extra 1,503 GPs into general practice to deliver more appointments."

Keir Starmer's update comes as a major poll has revealed a 'startling collapse' in public satisfaction with NHS. Approximately 59% of adults express dissatisfaction with the health service, marking a seven-point increase over the past year and reaching the highest level ever recorded.

The British Social Attitudes (BSA) survey, which includes responses from England, Scotland, and Wales, revealed that only 21% of participants are currently satisfied with the NHS. This figure has decreased from 24% compared to last year, representing the lowest satisfaction rate since the survey's inception in 1983.

Overall, satisfaction with the NHS has dropped by 39 percentage points since 2019, the year before the pandemic, when 60% of adults reported being satisfied with the health service.

A survey conducted in autumn 2024 and released by the Nuffield Trust and the King’s Fund reveals significant declines in satisfaction with specific services such as A&E, general practitioners, and dental care. Despite these findings, the results indicate that the public continues to support the NHS's core values, with most respondents feeling that it requires additional funding and personnel.

Nuffield Trust policy analyst Mark Dayan said: "These figures make clear that since 2019 and through the Covid-19 pandemic, we saw a startling collapse in NHS satisfaction. This was no aberration: it is continuing even today. It is by far the most dramatic loss of confidence in how the NHS runs that we have seen in 40 years of this survey."

The data indicates that public confidence did not recover in the months following Labour's win in the general election of July 2024. Additionally, a related report reveals that the public now shares Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Health Secretary Wes Streeting's view that the NHS is "broken."

The study says: "The last time the Labour Party held office, satisfaction was at an astonishingly high 70% – 49 percentage points higher than the latest result and a figure that feels almost unreachable in today’s more pessimistic times.

"This pessimism was reflected in the Government’s proclamation just weeks before BSA fieldwork began that the NHS was ‘broken’ – and may partially explain the lack of a post-election ‘bounce’ in optimism from Labour supporters seen the last time their party swept to power."

Report author Bea Taylor of the Nuffield Trust said the findings show “just how dismayed” people are about the state of the NHS. She added: "The Government says the NHS is broken, and the public agrees.

"But support for the core principles of the NHS – free at the point of use, available to all and funded by taxation – endures despite the collapse in satisfaction. Harnessing this support and fixing the foundations of the NHS must be central to the Government’s forthcoming reform programme."

Trade union Unison is calling for more measures to be implemented, including increasing staffing across ambulance, hospital, and community services, making GP appointments more readily available, and improving social care capacity in communities.

Unison General Secretary Christina McAnea said: "The pressure on the NHS is unsustainable. Immediate action is crucial to address growing demand and ensure patients receive the timely care they need and deserve."