Satisfaction with public services

 

Year	2016	2017	2018	2019	2021	2022	2023
Percentage of people satisfied with public services in Shetland	59%	55%	47%	56%	58%	52%	53%
Percentage of people satisfied with public services in Scotland	56%	52%	52%	53%	55%	40%	43%

The graph and table show that satisfaction with public services over time has fluctuated. In 2016 in Shetland, 59% of people were satisfied with public services. This dropped to as low as 47% in 2018 and was at 53% in 2023.

Due to a smaller sample size in 2020, the data was not able to be broken down and published at local authority level. 

Except from 2018, Shetland has maintained a higher percentage of satisfaction with public services than Scotland overall. 43% of people in Scotland were satisfied with public services in 2023 compared to Shetland’s 53%. Shetland had the joint sixth highest level of satisfaction of public services in Scotland alongside East Renfrewshire. 

Looking at each public service individually, satisfaction with the quality of local health services was 84%, greater than Scotland’s 67%. 82% of people in Shetland were satisfied with the quality of local schools (lower than the 91% reported in 2019), compared to 69% in Scotland. Satisfaction with the quality of public transport in Shetland has increased to above the Scottish average with 68%, in contrast to 64% of people in Scotland. 

In order to gather feedback and monitor satisfaction, public service providers regularly carry out Customer Satisfaction Surveys. For example the Council have run their Customer First Survey in 2017 and 2022. Here, views were sought on how good the Council is at delivering a range of activities, how people are likely to get in touch and how people would rate customer service received. The Council published an updated Customer Feedback Framework in 2024.

In 2021 Public Health Scotland carried out the Scottish Health and Care Experience Survey. This survey is run every two years. The results of these surveys can be broken down to the NHS Board. In 2021, Shetland had 1,197 responses to the survey, including views on how people rate the care provided by their GP practice and how they felt they were treated. More information on how NHS Shetland gather feedback can be found on the NHS Shetland website.

Involving people in how decisions are made, giving them a voice and influence and understanding their needs will all help to make improvements to communities’ satisfaction with public services.

Other examples of work involving people and communities are highlighted in our Transforming Participation pages. Including community conversations, the Voice’s for projects and NHS listening events.

Last updated: December 2024