Patients forced to chase NHS test results in admin ‘doom loop’

Two-thirds of patients (66%) 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%) said it was good, while nearly one in three (30%) 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.”

The study found responses to particular aspects of admin have got worse.

For example, in 2025, 32% of people said the NHS is good at ensuring patients have someone to contact about ongoing care (down from 43% in 2024), while just over 34% said it is poor (compared with 28% 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.

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Source: The Independent, 16 April 2026

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