Still holding it together: what NHS administration really looks like from general practice (30 April 2026)

Summary

When we talk about NHS administration, it often gets described as systems, processes, inefficiencies. That’s not how it feels in general practice. From where I sit as a practice manager, administration is the bit that either helps a patient get care – or quietly stops them from getting it at all, writes Kay Keane in this guest blog for The King's Fund.

The recent report from The King's Fund talks about patients feeling ‘lost in the system’. What is less visible is the amount of work happening every single day to stop that from happening.