The results showed people were more positive about their stays in hospital but concerns remain in a number of areas, including admission waits, discharge and the care for the frail and people with mental health needs.

Over three quarters (79%) said they ‘always' had confidence and trust in the nurses treating them (up from 78% in 2024). Three-quarters (77%) said they ‘always' felt doctors included them in conversations about their care (up from 76% in 2024). 

Six in ten (62%) felt able to talk to hospital staff about their worries and fears (compared to 60% in 2024) and over a third (38%) said staff involved them ‘a great deal' in decisions about their care and treatment (up from 37% who said this in 2024). 

The proportion who felt there were ‘always' enough nurses on duty also increased from 58% in 2024 to 59% in 2025, with year-on-year increases since 2022 when only 52% said this was the case. 

The number of respondents who said that they were ‘always' able to get a member of staff to help them when they needed attention has also improved from 63% in 2021 to 65% in 2025. Of those respondents who needed help from staff to eat their meals, 73% said they were ‘always' able to get that help in 2025, compared to 71% in 2024.

Most said staff took account for their language needs (82%), cultural needs (79%), religious needs (77%), accessibility needs (83%) and dietary needs (78%). 

Areas of difficulty

However, only 61% of respondents felt hospital staff took their mental health needs into account during their care and treatment. 

On discharge, one in five (21%) said staff did not involve their family or carers in decisions about them leaving hospital, with a further 17% saying they were ‘not very much' involved.  

Almost a quarter of people (24%) felt they did not get enough support from health or social care services to help them recover or manage their condition after leaving hospital (compared to 23% in 2024).  

A fifth (22%) said hospital staff did not discuss with them whether they would need any further health and social care services after leaving hospital but ‘would have liked them to', similarly to 2024.

On admissions, just under a quarter waiting for elective treatment (23%) said they would like to have been admitted ‘a bit sooner' and 19% ‘a lot sooner'.  
 
Similarly, the proportion of people who felt their health deteriorated to some extent while waiting to be admitted has not significantly altered. A quarter (25%) said it got ‘a bit worse' and 18% ‘much worse'.  

The percentage of people asked to wait in a treatment bay, corridor, or hallway has not changed since 2024: 46% and 18%, respectively, however, the proportion asked to wait in a waiting room rose to 32% from 31%.

Respondents with a disability, dementia or Alzheimer's, or a neurological condition all reported worse than average experiences across many areas of care such as being able to talk to staff about their worries and fears and having confidence and trust in the doctors and nurses treating them.  

Reaction

Deputy director of policy at The NHS Alliance, David Williams, said: ‘Credit is due to local NHS leaders and frontline staff for their efforts in delivering these improvements in the face of very significant challenges.

‘It is clear though that there is still more to do. Flow through the health and care system needs to improve and, in line with these findings, we know that hospital discharge continues to be a challenge.'

Jenny King, chief research officer at Picker, said: ‘It is encouraging to see continued improvements in several aspects of inpatient care, particularly around communication with staff and involving patients in discussions about their care.

‘At the same time, the results highlight persistent challenges around discharge and ongoing support at home. As the NHS looks to shift more care from hospitals into community settings, it will be vital to ensure that care is co-ordinated across services so that patients receive the support they need throughout their care journey.'

 A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: ‘It is encouraging that more patients feel listened to, supported and confident in their care but we can see from this report that too many still face long waits, poor discharge support, or care that falls short, and we are determined to change that.

‘We are working with the NHS to build on what is going well, tackle any lapses in standards, and make care faster, safer and more tailored to each person's needs.'