Patient satisfaction with hospital care in England has risen for a second consecutive year, according to the Care Quality Commission (CQC), although discharge planning remains what the regulator calls "an area of difficulty."

The CQC surveyed more than 58,000 patients aged 16 years or older who had at least one night's stay in hospital in one of 130 acute and specialist NHS trusts in England during November 2025.

The survey has been carried out annually since 2002.

The latest report found improvements in a number of measures, with most others unchanged and only two showing a decline, with 79% of respondents reporting that they "always" had confidence and trust in the nurses treating them, up from 78% in 2024, and 77% saying they "always" felt that doctors included them in conversations about their care, up from 76% in 2024.

Meanwhile, 73% of respondents said they "always" understood the answers to questions asked of doctors or nurses, and 62% felt able to talk to hospital staff about their concerns, up from 60% in 2024. Only 38% said that staff involved them "a great deal" in decisions about their care and treatment, though this was an increase from 37% in 2024.

The percentage stating that there were "always" enough nurses on duty during their stay increased from 58% in 2024 to 59% in 2025. The CQC commented that this represented a longer-term upward trend since 2021, with year-on-year increases since 2022, when only 52% said this was the case.

Discharge Support Remains an Area of Difficulty 

However, the regulator said that despite some small improvements, discharge planning and postdischarge care remained “an area of difficulty.” A fifth (22%) of patients said that hospital staff did not discuss potential needs for further health and social care services after leaving hospital, even though they would have appreciated this. A similar percentage (21%) said staff did not involve family or carers in discharge decisions "at all" — despite NHS guidance that they should be — with a further 17% saying "not very much." 

Actual postdischarge support to help patients recover or manage their condition was lacking for 24%, and 26% of those who felt it was needed said that family or carers were not given information they needed to care for them at home.

Dr Toli Onon, CQC’s chief inspector of hospitals, said in a press release that the lack of progress in discharge arrangements and in support after leaving hospital was “disappointing.” The report highlighted this as a key area for improvement.

Discharge a Critical Part of Patient Care 

According to NHS England, “Safe, timely discharge from an acute or community hospital bed is a critical part of patient care and onward recovery.” Its model discharge pathway, published last month, noted that when planned proactively and delivered well, timely discharge can restore independence, improve outcomes, and release capacity for those most in need of acute and community bedded care.

In contrast, staying in hospital longer than clinically necessary carries “well-evidenced risks,” including deconditioning, hospital-acquired infection, delirium, falls, and greater dependence on long-term social care. The guidance adds, “These risks increase with every extra day in hospital.”

Delayed Discharges Cost £2.7 Billion Last Year 

Research from the King's Fund, published last month, found that delayed discharges cost the NHS £2.7 billion in 2025-2026, up 7.5% on the previous year. Senior analyst Danielle Jefferies said that the rising costs of delayed discharges were putting “even more pressure on already stretched NHS budgets, alongside contributing to longer waits in A&E and more harrowing cases of corridor care.”

The report found that on average there were nearly 13,000 delayed discharges every day last year, meaning that almost 1 in 10 of all hospital beds at any one time were taken up by someone fit enough to be discharged. The average cost of a bed-day reached £562 in 2025-2026, up from £536 last year, and increased by 10% on the 2022-2023 figure of £512. 

The King's Fund said the delays were commonly caused by a shortage of capacity in NHS community services and social care, along with administrative hold-ups such as coordinating with care transfer hubs. 

“Patients are being left stranded in hospital beds, frustrated at being unable to leave despite being well enough to do so, knowing that sicker patients need their bed, with little they can do about it,” Jefferies said.

Dr Sheena Meredith is an established medical writer, editor, and consultant in healthcare communications, with extensive experience writing for medical professionals and the general public. She is qualified in medicine and in law and medical ethics.