Patient Access Avis 

Once you get past the well-documented registration nightmare, what you'll find is even worse.

Under 'Patient Services', one option out of six is for NHS patients — ordering repeat prescriptions. The other five are links to private, paid health services. The rest of the app is wall-to-wall sliding ads and flashy links to private doctors and clinics.

This is a private company that has been handed a privileged position as the sole gateway between NHS patients and their GP. Patients don't choose this app — your surgery uses EMIS, so you're stuck with it. That makes you a captive audience, and they are exploiting it. The repeat prescription function is just the hook that keeps you opening the app, guaranteeing regular exposure to selling content.

This isn't a healthcare app with some ads. It's a marketing platform with one NHS function attached. If you want to see what a patient app should look like, try MyChart — used for NHS secondary care in Northern Ireland. Clean, ad-free, and entirely focused on the patient. Patient Access is the polar opposite and a scam targeting NHS patients. Disgraceful.

Tried yo get into patients access 23nd Feb 2026. Never had any problems before now just doesnt work cant get into this app tried numerous times had to give up

At best all I can do with this app is request repeat prescriptions. Even the medication reminder fails to function. If I could give zero stars I would.

Been using this site(LOL) for a few years now and it's been handy for repeat prescriptions till recently. Tried three times this last week but it kept asking me to verify myself. I sent two mails to their 'technical support' 3 days ago but had nothing back. When I did manage to get into the site, I was only given a choice of 'smear test', which for a male, is of no use at all (this it normal!) this is a totally useless site for anything other than repeat prescriptions (if your lucky) but nothing else, apart of course private health companies! What a waste of tax payers money!

Patient access shut down again
Only use it once a month to order repeated prescriptions.Always get stressed thinking will it work or not.Why do things not work in this country any more
.

I set up an account a few months ago. When I tried to log in this morning it told me my password was incorrect, so I clicked on the 'forgotten password' link, which resulted in an email thanking me for registering with them, even though I am already registered. Further down in the email I found a link for resetting passwords, which just took me back to the inital sign in page. Useless.

I hate it very much. Nowhere to complain. Never able to access. Thousand levels of factors of authentication to put you off and try to kill you especially when you are feeling sick and need help. I hate NHS because of Patient Access but I have no choice. Pathetic!!!!!!!!!

I use a password manager so I have secure passwords but need not remember them. Two weeks ago, and ever since, the site says my password is invalid. It can't change on my side, so what has happened? I have now sent three help desk requests asking that they check my account and find out what is blocking my access. Have I been hacked, although with my security that is difficult? Obviously confidentiality is essential and legally required (GDPR) in health records. Despite this they simply ignore me. Highly unprofessional and irresponsible of them, in my opinion.

Even ignoring the bugs, terrible UI, login issues etc. the whole system just makes everything slower.

Seemingly gone are the days where you order a repeat prescription and can collect it from the chemist the next (or sometimes the same) day, which sucks when this is medicines people need.

My GP referred me for a hospital appointment in March 2025 for which I recieved a confirmation letter and am still waiting for an appointment (now January 2026).
Logged into Patient Access on PC to check for an update and all my details, referral letters and previous appointments are gone. There's no record of anything. Followed instructions to download an authenticator app and re-authenticated myself and still nothing. Logged into the NHS and it says there are no referrals, then says "This Service is managed by Patients Know Best" Who on earth are they?
Logged back into Patient Access and when I select to make a GP appointment it sends me to external websites to make a private appointment.

They've achieved their goal..... I've given up and will just suffer for the rest of my life.

It should be renamed "Patience Lost" or "Patient No Access"

Complex, frustrating and ineffective.

Terrible - I had an issue with my patient access account due to my iphone sim being deactivated and was not able to log in as I could not receive text message for code/authentication so I am locked out. I tried to contact patient access support but found you can only do this by email and so there is a waiting time/delay and you can't actually speak to a person. They advised me to delete my account and re-register which I did by using the instructions in the email they sent me. I know am having more problems with re-registering as it seems my account still exists even though I used the delete link. The GP staff are not very help full and trying to deal with patient access support by email is not helpful either. Which is great for me as I have no access now so can order vital medicines I need. There should have been an alternative if you could not receive the text codes to gain access. Utterly shocking.

Suddenly my wife and I can't access accounts (once again) with normal log in details. Followed all steps set out in their opaque, convoluted guidance but still denied. How much is the NHS paying for this utter garbage?

This company get paid for providing a service I have ran out of medication and cannot access my account
This is not just on 1 occassion but most of the time
Get rid of this poor service and employ a decent provider

Imagine having a rating of 1! It’s been like this for as long as I can remember and no one does anything to rectify it? Are YOU responsible for this app? It’s an absolute disgrace! Over 1000 reviews and the average rating is 1.1 - and let’s be real here - you HAVE to rate it at least 1 so the real rating is close to zero! EVERYONE IS STRUGGLING TO SIGN IN IT IS A COMPLETE PIECE OF JUNK! Fix it you incompetent fools! Grrrrrrrr 🤬

A COMPLETE WASTE OF TIME! Doesn't give you access to your medical records & documents associated with said records. Keeps loading the exact same document when clicking on different times & dates if loading a document at all! Yet more money wasted by the NHS! DON'T BOTHER WITH IT.

Was told by our GP to use this service, for something as critical as patient care to simply say “download an authenticator” and not even suggest or better specify one to use is a ridiculous user experience and opens users up to being sucked into paid apps and potential malware/data capture, the whole process and site is like its been written by high school kids in their IT lessons, whoever at the NHS signed this off needs sacking immediately!

So disappointing. All I've done is change my phone but due to this Patient Access won't allow me to order any repeat prescriptions. I've dealt with Nick from their tech team and may as well have had a conversation with a bag of bolts. No care, no attempt to provide meaningful help, just "do this and it'll work" repeated over and over, in spite of this being rude, frustrating and unhelpful.

What new fresh hell is this authenticator app ?
My bank has less login requirements than you.
What was wrong with the already complicated and unexessary log in requirements.
In all my years I've never encountered such a useless app.
This is for ill people yet it is difficult enough for people who aren't ill to navigate.
How on earth do you continue to hold an NHS contract when all of your ratings here are 1 star ?
Disgusting