Two-thirds of patients (66 per cent) have experienced at least one NHS admin problem in the past year, according to a new study.
The report from the King’s Fund, Healthwatch and National Voices exposed the admin “doom loop” with patients being forced to chase NHS test results, receiving appointment reminders after the date has passed, not being kept informed about waiting times and being given incorrect information.
The report, based on responses from 1,908 adults in December, said: “The results overall make for difficult reading. Not only has there been little change in people’s experience of NHS admin since our previous polling (2024), but general perceptions of NHS admin and communications have actually gotten worse.
“Less than half of those polled think the NHS is good at communicating with patients about things like appointments and test results, and around a third think it is poor at various aspects of communication with patients.
“When we asked people how good or poor the NHS is at communicating with patients about things like appointments and test results, over two in five (43 per cent) said it was good, while nearly one in three (30 per cent) said it was poor.
“This is worse than in 2024, when over one in two (52 per cent) said it was good and one in four (25 per cent) said it was poor.”
Key issues in the report
- 33 per cent of patients were not kept updated about how long they would have to wait for care or treatment
- 32 per cent have had to chase test or scan results
- 24 per cent did not know who to contact while waiting for care
- 23 per cent had received an appointment letter or text after the date of the appointment – a three percentage point increase since 2024
- 18 per cent tried to contact the NHS to change or cancel an existing appointment, but were not able to
- 15 per cent were told or sent information they could not understand
- 15 per cent were told or sent the wrong appointment date or time.
For 41 per cent of patients, such experiences make them less likely to seek care in the future.
The study found responses to particular aspects of admin have got worse.
For example, in 2025, 32 per cent of people said the NHS is good at ensuring patients have someone to contact about ongoing care (down from 43 per cent in 2024), while just over 34 per cent said it is poor (compared with 28 per cent in 2024).
People with long-term health conditions were more likely to say the NHS is poor, while carers and those on lower incomes were also more likely to say the same.
Overall, 60 per cent of people who had experienced admin issues said it made them think NHS money is being wasted.
More than half also felt their time was being wasted (57 per cent), and the same proportion thought staff time was being wasted.
Patients described issues such as taking time off work only to discover on arrival their appointment had been cancelled without warning, and losing income as they juggled rescheduled appointments.
Others received communication about cancer surgery before receiving biopsy results or a diagnosis, while some described the stress of managing their care across phone calls, text messages and multiple apps.
Dan Wellings, senior fellow at the King’s Fund and co-author of the report said: “These results show that for many people, navigating the NHS still too often feels like being set adrift without a compass.
“Two-thirds of patients experiencing problems with NHS administration is not a minor systems issue – it is a day‑to‑day reality for millions of people.
“People are left chasing basic information and struggling to manage the care they need at moments when they are already anxious about their own health or that of someone they love, and that is completely unacceptable in a 21st-century health system.
“These findings should be a real cause for concern for government and NHS leaders.
“Not only has there been no improvement in patients’ experiences of these issues over the past year, but wider public awareness of these administrative failings is growing.”
Jacob Lant, chief executive of National Voices, said: “It’s absolutely staggering to think that for two in five people who tried to access care, the admin doom loop has got so bad that they are less likely to seek help in future as a result.
“That is not the way to create communities that are engaged in their health and feel supported to proactively manage any conditions they might have.”
The three organisations are now calling for NHS admin to be made a national priority, supported by clear standards that ensure processes work better for patients.
Digital tools, including the NHS app, should also be “intuitive, accessible, and designed to work together”, they said.
The Department of Health has been contacted for comment.
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