"Review of the NHS from a Nordic Perspective"

I come from a Nordic country, where healthcare is far from perfect but at least it is structured, consistent, and logical. Since moving to the UK and relying on the NHS, I’ve been shocked at how chaotic, confusing, and disorganised the system is. I’ve been using it for several years now, and unfortunately, my experiences only confirm the same pattern: nothing is straightforward, and patients are left exhausted, frustrated, and often without proper care.

GP Appointments: A Constant Struggle

Booking an appointment starts with calling the receptionist—who almost always books you in for a phone call instead of a face-to-face visit. You’re told the GP will call at a random time (morning or afternoon), and you can’t call them back if you miss it. That means losing hours of your day staring at your phone, which is especially inconvenient when you need to make these calls on a regular basis. If you miss the call because you have family around, or perhaps you are at work or you happen to be in the loo—you will then have to go back to the receptionist and book again, often waiting another 1–2 weeks.

If you do manage to answer, half the time the GP says you actually need to be seen in person. Why wasn’t that booked from the start? The whole process feels designed to waste patients’ time.

The practice I use also advertises online booking—but it never works. I’ve checked for three years, and every time it just says: not available.

Referrals: A Mess of Delays and Confusion

Once referred to hospital care, it becomes even worse. You don’t know whether you’ll be contacted by phone or letter, and you can wait months for any communication. Sometimes I’ve received an appointment letter, only to have it cancelled and rescheduled multiple times. I’ve even turned up to an appointment to discover it was suddenly at a completely different hospital. I had been going to one specific hospital, so I didn’t even know it was possible to change.

I used to wonder why so many people miss NHS appointments—now I understand. The system is so unclear and inconsistent that it’s no wonder patients fall through the cracks.

NHS App and Records: Incomplete and Unreliable

The NHS app and website are unreliable. Referrals and waiting lists often don’t update. Doctors’ notes about what was discussed or planned after an appointment appear randomly—sometimes months later, sometimes never.

Once, I had blood tests taken, and the results were never uploaded. I chased both my GP and the hospital repeatedly, and after months of waiting, the GP finally told me the only way to access my own blood results was to go to the practice and ask the receptionist to print them. How is that acceptable in 2025? I should have access to see all of my results and what was discussed at all times. These are important personal details.

Lack of Professionalism

I’ve repeatedly encountered unprofessionalism from UK doctors. I’ve seen GPs openly Googling symptoms in front of me. I’ve had conflicting advice that contradicted the NHS website itself. In one practice, a GP even had another patient’s records open on their screen. It doesn’t inspire trust.

A Personal Example: 3 Years of Unnecessary Delay

The most upsetting example is an ongoing medical issue I’ve had since 2022. I first asked my GP for a referral back then, but they dismissed me with a temporary solution. The issue persisted, so I kept going back. Over the past three years, I’ve been examined multiple times, referred, sent back, re-examined, passed around between departments, and told completely contradictory information.

At one hospital visit, the doctor did the treatment immediately—but the problem returned a week later. When I went back, another doctor in the same department said they couldn’t do the treatment there. I was sent through another investigation, then another referral, then examined again (I’ve lost count at this point). Each doctor has told me something different.

The worst was the last appointment: after yet another invasive examination, the doctor contradicted everything I’d been told before, barely explained anything, and when I asked for some clarification, they ended the appointment with - I’m writing it, bye, while staring at their computer. I left feeling dismissed, confused, and so upset that I cried in the hospital toilets. Now I’ve been booked for yet another appointment where I’ll be examined all over again. A simple problem that should take one quick procedure has been dragged out for three years, causing pain, stress, and unnecessary exposure.

Mixed Messages Between GP and Hospital

One of the biggest problems is how GPs and hospitals don’t communicate. The hospital says your GP will contact you with the next steps. The GP says the hospital will arrange your follow-up. In reality, no one does anything unless the patient chases—and even then, you’re bounced back and forth. Do you see how confusing this is to the patients.

Final Thoughts

The NHS keeps sending out automated texts lecturing patients about the cost of missed appointments. Honestly, I’m certain the majority are not the patients’ fault—it’s because the NHS is so disorganised that people don’t even know when or where their appointments are. It is extremely stressful trying to keep up with the appointment process.

From a Nordic perspective, I cannot understand how the system can be this bad. It is chaotic, outdated, and deeply unfair to patients. The UK deserves a healthcare system that is clear, functional, and professional. Right now, the NHS is failing at the basics.