Published 8 May 2025

9 Patient Experience Software Platforms for NHS and Healthcare Teams

This blog explores the top patient experience software solutions available in 2026, explaining how digital tools improve interactions across the care journey from scheduling and check-ins to communication and feedback.

David Shanley
By David Shanley
Updated 10 Mar 2026 | 13 min read

Patient Experience Software

Table Of Contents

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Key Takeaways

  • Patient experience still trails clinical progress. Paperwork delays and limited access to results continue to drive frustration, and the NHS satisfaction figure of 21% signals real urgency.
  • The right patient experience platform depends on where friction sits in your pathway. A clinic may prioritise booking, intake and reminders, while a trust may prioritise pathway control, audit visibility and governance.
  • The nine tools in this guide serve different jobs. Some focus on access and front desk workflows, while others cover feedback programmes and shared care records.
  • While FlowForma is well-suited to complex NHS pathway automation, NexHealth and DemandHub are stronger choices for front-desk communication and engagement.

Healthcare continues to advance clinically, yet the patient experience often lags behind. Repeated paperwork, long waits, and difficulty accessing results still frustrate patients. Satisfaction with the National Health Service (NHS) has fallen to a record low of 21%, highlighting the urgency for change.

Better care is not only about treatment. It is about making every step of the journey simpler and more transparent.

 

The right patient experience software helps you streamline check-in, improve communication, reduce delays, and give patients clearer visibility over their care.

 

In this guide, we explore nine leading platforms, outlining their strengths across access, engagement, feedback, and follow-up to help you choose the right fit.

9 Patient Experience Solutions for NHS and Healthcare

Now that you’re shortlisting patient experience platforms, let’s start with a side-by-side view of the nine tools to help you determine the right one for your needs.

Tool

Core Focus

Best-Fit Scenario

Deployment Scope

G2 Rating

NexHealth

Digital access and front-desk automation

Online scheduling, intake and patient messaging

Practice and clinic-level operations

4.8/5 with 92 reviews

DemandHub

Patient communication and reputation management

SMS reminders, reviews and payment messaging

Practice level engagement

4.8/5 with 58 reviews

FlowForma

AI-led patient pathway and process automation

Automating referrals, discharge planning, consent and structured NHS workflows

Enterprise-wide clinical and operational processes

4.5/5 with 97 reviews

Patients Know Best

Patient-controlled health records and messaging

Multi-provider data sharing and patient access to records

Patient engagement across organisations

4.5/5 with 2 reviews

Capita

Large-scale survey and engagement services

National or regional patient satisfaction programmes

Multi-provider public sector programmes

4.5/5 with 2 reviews

SimplePractice

Practice management for independent providers

Scheduling, billing, telehealth and documentation

Small practices and behavioural health

4.1/5 with 125 reviews

Relias

Workforce training and compliance

Improving care quality through role-based learning

Organisation-wide staff development

3.9/5 with 355 reviews

Epro

Real-time patient feedback and clinical surveys

Capturing inpatient and outpatient experience data

Hospital ward and service level reporting

Not listed

Orion Health Amadeus Digital Care Record

Longitudinal patient data and care coordination

Shared records across hospitals and community care

Regional or integrated care networks

Not listed

 Overview of the 9 patient experience platforms for the NHS

How we curated this list and sourced our data

To build this list, we reviewed widely used patient experience platforms, including FlowForma.

We analysed ratings and review themes from G2, studied product documentation, and examined available user feedback. Each platform was evaluated using the same patient experience criteria for consistency.

 

We assessed each solution on:

 

  • Patient access and digital intake
  • Communication and engagement tools
  • Feedback capture and reporting
  • Care pathway tracking
  • Integration with EHR and core systems
  • Security and compliance readiness
  • Scalability across services
  • Pricing transparency
  • Fit for regulated healthcare environments

 

We combined vendor claims with real user feedback to show what each platform can handle in day-to-day patient experience management.

9 Patient Experience Software (In No Particular Order)

Let’s start with the detailed analysis of each patient experience software.

1. Patients Know Best

Best for: Patient-controlled records and secure messaging across multiple providers

Screenshot of Patients Know Best platform

Patients Know Best's digital patient management platform

 

Patients Know Best is a patient experience platform that gives patients secure access to their medical records and enables direct communication with care teams. Healthcare providers use it to share information, support ongoing engagement, and coordinate care across organisations while keeping patients in control of their own data.

Key features of Patients Know Best

1.  Shared health record access

Patients can view test results, clinic letters, medications, care plans, etc., in one secure portal. This helps them understand their condition, prepare for visits, and stay informed between appointments.

2.  Secure messaging with care teams

The platform enables direct, secure communication between patients and clinicians. Routine questions, follow-ups, and updates can be handled digitally, reducing phone calls and administrative burden.

3.  Appointment and pathway management

Patients can receive reminders, access pre-visit instructions, and stay updated on their care pathway. This improves attendance and ensures patients know what happens next in their treatment journey.

4.  Self-management and remote monitoring

Patients can upload home readings and track symptoms from outside the clinic. Clinicians can review this data to monitor progress and intervene earlier when needed.

G2 User Ratings of Patients Know Best

Patients Know Best is rated 4.5 out of 5 on G2, based on just two reviews dating back to 2018. We don’t have enough data to assess how the platform performs across ease of use, setup, support quality, and other relevant parameters.

Patients Know Best's Pros

Pros include:
  • Strong patient control and engagement focus

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  • Pools information from sources that sit outside typical mainstream health software
  • High satisfaction for smaller healthcare teams and works well in real-world use
Cons include:
  • Lacks an easy way to incorporate high-quality lab data

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  • Limited critical feedback in the reviews provided

2. FlowForma

Best for: Compliant NHS pathway automation with full audit control and no-code flexibility

FlowForma AI-led process automation platform

 

FlowForma helps you move patient-facing processes out of email chains and paper forms into clear, guided digital workflows. If your team is managing referrals, discharge planning, consent forms, or internal approvals manually, we help you turn those steps into structured flows that are easy to track and complete.

 

Your clinical and operational teams can build or update workflows themselves (while IT retains oversight), allowing you to adapt quickly when policies shift or services expand. Instead of chasing updates, your staff can see exactly what’s happening at every stage of the patient journey.

Key features of FlowForma

1. Digital patient pathway automation

You can automate referrals, triage, discharge coordination, and follow-ups in one structured workflow. Every step is assigned and time-stamped, so nothing falls through the cracks and your patients move through care without unnecessary delays.

2. AI-assisted workflow and form creation

With Copilot, you can quickly create forms and complex processes without coding. Your team can launch new pathways faster when service needs change. From appointment scheduling to feedback, the FlowForma AI Copilot does it. Here is an example of how you can automate your patients’ appointment scheduling using the AI Copilot.

Automating the patient appointment scheduling process using AI Copilot

3. Automated patient documents and communications

Care plans, referral letters, and internal approvals are generated automatically from submitted information. Your communication stays consistent, accurate, and easier to manage.

4. Real-time tracking and escalation alerts

You can see exactly where each patient-related task stands. Alerts notify your team if something is delayed, helping you resolve issues before they impact care.

5. NHS-approved and security-certified

FlowForma is an approved NHS vendor, listed on G-Cloud 13, N365, and the NHS London Procurement Partnership, which makes procurement simpler for your organisation. The platform is ISO 27001 certified in Europe, giving you confidence that patient data is handled in line with strict security and compliance standards.

G2 User Ratings of FlowForma

Evaluation Area

FlowForma Score

G2 Aggregate Rating

4.4

Alignment With Business Needs

8.6

User Friendliness

8.7

Implementation Simplicity

8.3

Administration Experience

8.2

Support Experience

9.2

Partnership Satisfaction

9.31

Roadmap Confidence (% Positive)

9.2

G2 user ratings of FlowForma

FlowForma’s Pros and Cons

Pros include:
  • Quick and responsive support team

 

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  • Enables business users to design and modify workflows without heavy reliance on coding skills

 

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  • Improves coordination and visibility across departments and shared operations

 

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  • Drives measurable productivity gains in high-volume, regulated environments

 

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Like any platform, however, it comes with trade-offs. Understanding both the strengths and the limitations can help you decide whether it fits your environment.

Cons include:
  • Navigation takes time to get used to for new or occasional users.

 

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  • The learning curve can feel steep, especially without structured onboarding and training.

 

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  • Effective use requires structured process design and a thoughtful, well-planned setup.

 

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FlowForma’s Pricing

We use a clear, process-based pricing model. Instead of charging you per user or hiding features in higher tiers, we price based on the number of workflows you run.

 

Even as more members of your team or external reviewers use the platform, your costs stay predictable.

3. Epro

Best for: Real-time ward and service feedback reporting tied to quality improvement

 

Screenshot of Epro’s homepage

Epro's unified digital health platform

 

For hospitals that want to digitise clinical workflows and capture patient feedback across inpatient, outpatient, and community settings, Epro is a good platform.

 

It supports structured surveys and integrates responses into operational reporting, allowing providers to link feedback directly to service improvement initiatives.

Key features of Epro

1.  Real-time patient feedback collection

Hospitals gather experience data during or immediately after care episodes through digital surveys. Staff can identify issues early and respond before discharge.

2.  Service-level reporting and dashboards

Managers access live dashboards that break down feedback by ward, department, or speciality. Trends become visible quickly, supporting targeted quality improvement efforts.

3.  Inpatient and outpatient survey deployment

Teams configure surveys for different care settings, ensuring questions match the specific patient journey and clinical context.

4.  Integration with hospital systems

Survey data connects with existing hospital IT systems, allowing patient experience metrics to align with operational and clinical performance data.

G2 User Ratings of Epro

Epro is not available on G2.

Epro’s Pros and Cons

Pros include:
  • Consolidates clinical systems and paper processes into one platform
  • Customisable to fit specific clinical workflows
Cons include:
  • Steep learning curve
  • Customisation can delay the rollout

4. Capita

Best for: Large-scale national and regional patient engagement programmes with multichannel reach

 

Screenshot of Capita’s homepage

Capita's NHS-centric services platform

 

Capita delivers patient experience and engagement services that help healthcare organisations manage large-scale feedback programmes and improve service access. Health systems use their solutions to run national or regional surveys, manage patient communications and analyse satisfaction data to inform policy and operational decisions.

Key features of Capita

1.  Large-scale survey management

Organisations deploy national and regional patient surveys across multiple providers. Responses are collected, processed and analysed centrally to ensure consistent reporting.

2.  Multichannel patient communication

Patients receive communications through digital, phone, or mail channels, improving reach across diverse populations.

3.  Data analysis and insight reporting

Healthcare leaders receive structured reports highlighting satisfaction trends, service gaps and improvement opportunities.

4.  Operational support services

Administrative processes related to patient engagement, including contact handling and data processing, are managed to reduce internal workload.

G2 User Ratings of Capita

Capita is rated 4.5 out of 5 on G2, based on just 2 reviews. We don’t have enough data to assess how the platform performs across ease of use, setup, support quality and other relevant parameters.

Capita’s Pros and Cons

Pros include:
  • Intuitive with multiple customisable options

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  • AI and data-driven features enhance accuracy and patient safety
Cons include:
  • Integration with existing systems requires technical support

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  • Delayed support response

5. Relias

Best for: Workforce compliance training, credentialing and skills oversight across clinical roles

 

Screenshot of the Relias homepage

Relias’s patient engagement platform

 

By strengthening workforce capability and care quality, Relias supports healthcare organisations in improving the patient experience.

The platform delivers role-based training, compliance tracking and performance analytics to keep staff aligned with clinical standards and service expectations. Healthcare leaders use it to reduce risk, improve care consistency and close skills gaps that directly impact patient outcomes.

Key features of Relias

1.  Role-based learning management

Staff complete training tailored to their clinical or administrative role. Managers track course completion and competency progress across teams.

2.  Compliance and accreditation tracking

Mandatory certifications and regulatory requirements are monitored in one system. Automated alerts help prevent lapses that could affect care delivery.

3.  Performance and skills analytics

Leaders identify knowledge gaps through reporting dashboards. Training plans can be adjusted to address areas that influence patient safety and experience.

4.  Onboarding and workforce development

New hires follow structured onboarding pathways. Continuous education supports retention and maintains consistent care standards.

G2 User Ratings of Relias

Evaluation Area

Relias Platform Score

G2 Aggregate Rating

3.9

Alignment With Business Needs

8.4

User Friendliness

7.9

Implementation Simplicity

7.8

Administration Experience

7.6

Support Experience

8.2

Partnership Satisfaction

8.6

Roadmap Confidence (% Positive)

7.0

G2 user ratings of Relias

Relias Pros and Cons

Pros include:
  • Large course library with breadth across roles and compliance needs
  • Easy for admins to assign training at scale

 

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  • Strong compliance and credentialing support

 

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  • Helpful support for day-to-day issues
Cons include:
  • Navigation and admin management can feel confusing

 

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  • Performance and device experience can get in the way
  • Advanced learning features and pricing concerns in some cases

 

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6. Orion Health Amadeus Digital Care Record

Best for: Shared longitudinal care records built for integrated regional networks

Screenshot of Orion’s homepage

 Orion's patient data management platform

 

Healthcare providers can unify patient information across hospitals, primary care, and community services through Amadeus Digital Care Record. Clinicians access a longitudinal record that consolidates data from multiple systems, improving care coordination and reducing duplication. Health systems use it to support integrated care models and population health management.

Key features of Orion

1.  Longitudinal patient record aggregation

Clinical data from different providers is consolidated into a single, shared view. Care teams can review history, medications, diagnostics and encounters without switching systems.

2.  Cross- organisation care coordination

Providers across regions access the same patient record. Information flows more smoothly between acute, primary and community settings.

3.  Population health insights

Aggregated data support risk stratification and proactive care planning so that organisations can identify high-risk patients and intervene earlier.

4.  Interoperability framework

The platform connects with diverse clinical and administrative systems. Data exchange supports continuity of care across the healthcare ecosystem.

G2 User Ratings of Orion Health

Orion Health does not currently have ratings or reviews on G2. As a result, there isn’t enough publicly available user feedback to evaluate its performance across areas such as ease of use, implementation experience, customer support, or overall satisfaction.

Orion Health's Pros and Cons

Pros include:
  • Full view of patient history and care pathways
  • Seamless integration and easy to use
  • Scalable for large care networks
Cons include:
  • Lacks proper usability
  • Limited and paid access with shared lists

7. NexHealth

Best for: EHR-synced booking, digital intake, automated reminders and payment collection

Screenshot of NexHealth’s patient experience features

 NexHealth's appointment reminder and feedback collection feature

 

NexHealth helps healthcare practices modernise patient access and front-desk operations. Clinics use it to automate scheduling, intake, reminders and payments while syncing directly with their EHR or practice management system. Administrative workload decreases as more interactions shift to self-service digital workflows.

Key features of NexHealth

1.  Online scheduling synced with EHR

Patients book appointments directly from the practice website. Availability reflects real-time calendar data from the connected system.

2.  Digital intake and forms

Patients complete registration forms before their visit. Staff receive structured data without manual entry.

3.  Automated reminders and confirmations

Text and email reminders reduce no-shows. Patients confirm or reschedule without calling the clinic.

4.  Two-way messaging and payments

Secure messaging supports appointment coordination and follow-ups. Digital payment links simplify collections before or after visits.

G2 User Ratings of NexHealth

Evaluation Area

NexHealth Score

G2 Aggregate Rating

4.5

Alignment With Business Needs

9.4

User Friendliness

9.5

Implementation Simplicity

9.5

Administration Experience

9.5

Support Experience

9.7

Partnership Satisfaction

9.6

Roadmap Confidence (% Positive)

9.7

G2 user ratings of NexHealth

NextHealth's Pros and Cons

Pros include:
  • Easy integration and implementation processes

 

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  • Customisable automated reminders and notifications
  • Responsive and helpful support that resolves issues quickly
  • Smooth onboarding and feature transitions

 

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Cons include:
  • Cumbersome navigation
  • Inconvenience in messaging processes and a lack of real-time updates

 

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  • Lagging and syncing problems that can impact checkout or workflow efficiency

 

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8. DemandHub

Best for: SMS-first communication covering review management, reminders and missed-call recovery

Screenshot of DemandHub’s homepage

DemandHub's homepage

 

Service-based businesses, including healthcare practices, can manage patient communication and reputation by using DemandHub. Clinics use it to centralise conversations, increase online reviews and improve response times without switching between multiple tools.

Key features of DemandHub

1.  Centralised text communication

Staff manage patient SMS conversations from a shared inbox. Messages remain tied to individual contacts for easy tracking.

2.  Automated review requests

Patients receive prompts to leave reviews after appointments. Positive feedback increases visibility on public review platforms.

3.  Missed-call text back

Patients who call after hours receive an automatic text response. Conversations continue without waiting for office hours.

4.  Payment and reminder messaging

Practices send payment links and appointment reminders through SMS. Administrative follow-up becomes faster and more consistent.

G2 User Ratings of DemandHub

Evaluation Area

DemandHub Score

G2 Aggregate Rating

4.8

Alignment With Business Needs

9.4

User Friendliness

9.6

Implementation Simplicity

9.4

Administration Experience

9.6

Support Experience

9.8

Partnership Satisfaction

9.7

Roadmap Confidence (% Positive)

9.3

 G2 user ratings of DemandHub

DemandHub's Pros and Cons

Pros include:
  • Centralised workflow view that lets staff manage multiple tasks from one screen

 

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  • Support team is frequently described as responsive and helpful

 

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  • Online forms support basic customisation, including Spanish language options
  • Onboarding and feature transitions are often supported through guidance and assistance

 

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Cons include:
  • Limited messaging, with workflow friction and delayed updates
  • Appointment management requires multiple clicks, increasing effort for routine actions

 

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  • Inconsistent navigation slows common tasks

9. SimplePractice

Best for: All-in-one scheduling, billing, documentation and telehealth for independent practitioners

 

Screenshot of SimplePractice's homepage

 SimplePractice's homepage

 

SimplePractice enables independent practitioners and small healthcare practices to manage scheduling, billing, documentation and telehealth in one system. Behavioural health providers, therapists and wellness professionals rely on it to streamline daily operations while maintaining consistent communication with patients.

Key features of SimplePractice

1.  Integrated scheduling and calendar management

Appointments are booked, rescheduled and tracked in a centralised calendar. Automated reminders help reduce missed sessions.

2.  Clinical documentation tools

Progress notes, treatment plans and templates are stored securely within each client record.

3.  Telehealth sessions

Virtual appointments run directly through the platform. Providers conduct sessions and document care in the same workflow.

4.  Billing and insurance processing

Claims are generated and tracked within the system. Payment collection and invoicing remain aligned with scheduled services.

G2 User Ratings of SimplePractice

Evaluation Area

SimplePractice Score

G2 Aggregate Rating

4.1

Alignment With Business Needs

8.5

User Friendliness

8.8

Implementation Simplicity

8.4

Administration Experience

8.1

Support Experience

8.0

Partnership Satisfaction

7.8

Roadmap Confidence (% Positive)

8.0

G2 user ratings of SimplePractice

SimplePractice's Pros and Cons

Pros include:
  • All-in-one platform with multiple use cases and an intuitive interface

 

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  • Time-saving platform and simplified billing features

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  • Easy to navigate with intuitive layouts, including seamless patient contacting and compliance check features

 

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Cons include:
  • Primarily designed for behavioural health professionals
  • Limited reporting and customisation features

 

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  • High prices for small-business owners

6 Key Features To Look For In Patient Experience Software

The platform you choose will only be as useful as the features underpinning it. These six capabilities have the most direct impact on patient access, staff efficiency and care continuity.

Unified scheduling across providers and departments

Fragmented booking creates administrative overhead and compounds patient frustration over time. A unified scheduling system reduces conflicts, cuts down on back-and-forth and gives both staff and patients a clearer picture of availability across the organisation.

Patient self-scheduling and appointment management

Giving patients the ability to book, reschedule, or cancel independently reduces the administrative burden on front desk teams while improving the overall experience. Patients who can manage their own appointments are more likely to attend and engage with their care.

Role-based access control

Sensitive patient data must only be accessible to the right people at the right time. Granular permission settings are a compliance requirement in any regulated healthcare environment and should be built into the platform from the ground up.

Smart scheduling and no-show reduction

Automated reminders and predictive availability management keep schedules running efficiently without relying on manual follow-up. When gaps are filled proactively, and patients are reminded at the right moments, the whole pathway moves more smoothly.

Security and compliance credentials

Data encryption and full audit logs are fundamental requirements for any healthcare platform. For NHS organisations, confirming approval against frameworks like G-Cloud and the NHS DSP Toolkit should happen before a vendor reaches your shortlist.

Integrated communication tools

Secure messaging, automated notifications and real-time updates work best when they connect to the channels your teams already use. When communication is embedded in the workflow rather than sitting alongside it, staff spend less time switching between systems, and patients stay better informed.

How To Choose the Right Patient Experience Software

A structured evaluation process helps you move beyond feature checklists and assess whether a platform genuinely fits your workflows, your teams and your compliance obligations.

Step 1: Define your goals and requirements.

Start by identifying the specific pain points in your current patient journey. Set measurable objectives such as reducing wait times or improving satisfaction scores, and be clear about which features are essential versus those that would simply be beneficial.

Step 2: Assess integration capabilities.

Evaluate how well the platform connects with your existing EHR, practice management and billing systems. Review API availability and data migration requirements and consider whether the solution can scale alongside future system upgrades.

Step 3: Evaluate the total cost of ownership.

Look beyond the licensing fee and factor in implementation costs, ongoing maintenance and staff training as well as the productivity impact during rollout. Project your return on investment based on realistic efficiency gains and satisfaction improvements.

Step 4: Test vendor support and training.

Ask for references from healthcare organisations of a similar size and complexity. Evaluate how quickly support teams respond and what training and change management resources they provide before making a commitment.

Step 5: Run a pilot before full deployment.

Test the platform with a defined group of users before rolling it out organisation-wide. Gather feedback from patients, staff and administrators and measure performance against the success metrics you defined at the outset.

Final Words: Where Each Patient Experience Tool Delivers Best Value

The nine platforms in this guide are built for different problems. Picking the right one comes down to where your organisation feels the most friction today.

  • For NHS trusts navigating complex workflows and compliance requirements, FlowForma offers the most purpose-built fit.
  • Practices looking to reduce front-desk load and improve day-to-day communication will get more immediate value from NexHealth or DemandHub.
  • When care spans multiple organisations and continuity is the priority, Orion Health, Amadeus Digital Care Record, and Patients Know Best are better placed to support that.
  • Relias occupies a different category altogether, addressing care quality through staff development rather than patient-facing tools, which makes it a strong complement to whichever platform you choose for the patient side.

How FlowForma Helps Streamline Patient Experience End-to-End

Managing patient experience across complex NHS pathways is hard when your processes live in emails, spreadsheets and paper forms.

 

FlowForma brings it all together in one place. Your clinical and operational teams can build and adapt workflows without waiting on IT while ensuring every referral, consent form, and discharge plan is tracked, time-stamped, and automatically communicated.

 

When something slips, your team knows immediately, and this end-to-end visibility makes a real difference for your patients.

 

Ready to simplify the patient care experience? Book a demo to watch FlowForma in action.

 

FAQs

  • If delays and compliance risks sit inside referrals, discharge or internal approvals, pathway automation platforms such as FlowForma are more relevant. If friction is mainly around booking, reminders or messaging, access-focused tools like NexHealth or DemandHub may be a better fit.

  • Not on their own. Review volume, recency and healthcare context matter. A 4.8 rating based on dozens of clinic reviews carries a different weight than a similar rating from two older reviews.

  • Most platforms offer integration options, but the depth varies. Some sync directly with EHR calendars and records, while others rely on APIs or middleware for structured data exchange.

  • Governance, audit trails, procurement eligibility and security certifications are critical. Tools listed on NHS frameworks or holding recognised compliance standards simplify adoption and reduce implementation risk.

David Shanley

David Shanley is a process consultant and technical trainer at FlowForma. He is responsible for FlowForma's UI/UX. David has over 20 years of experience crafting award-winning digital designs, experiences and platforms for global customers.

David Shanley