Overview
- NHS England published eight minimum patient experience standards on Friday requiring at least three weeks' notice for new planned appointments, confirmation when a GP referral is accepted, 12-week waiting-list check-ins, and a 28-day target for rebooking after cancellations.
- Patients will get referral confirmations and the ability to track their place on a waiting list through the NHS App, with texts, letters and phone calls kept as options for those who need them.
- The package asks all trusts to publish an annual summary of performance against the standards and signals the appointment of a national director of patient experience to drive implementation.
- Patient groups welcomed the standards but warned that trusts will need extra administrative training, process change and likely investment to deliver them consistently and to protect patients who do not use digital services.
- The reforms form part of wider plans to join up health records, including a Single Patient Record, and build on local improvements such as The Walton Centre’s 2024 text reminders, which cut missed appointments and freed slots for other patients.