NHS Business Services Authority Reviews 

I am a pensions analyst for a major international bank. The level of service is abysmal, I'll health retirement quotation for my partially sighted wife has taken 3 months, unbelievable. Literally shameful.

It’s difficult to understand how anyone can work within a service like this and become so comfortable treating vulnerable people as reference numbers rather than human beings.

I disclosed that I am disabled, explained that I’d made a genuine mistake and explicitly asked for help. The response showed virtually no acknowledgement, empathy or humanity, just pay by the deadline or we’ll increase the penalty by 50%.

NHSBSA’s own Customer Charter talks about “respect and empathy” and “help and support”. Perhaps the people representing the organisation should read it.

There is something deeply depressing about a workplace culture where this kind of response is considered acceptable.

Archaic system
Several months ago I lost my job and my direct debit bounced for the NHS PPC. I was sent a letter to say that I now owed x amount. I called to try and pay in installments and was promptly told how they want they installments, so boo to you. Anyway everything was seemingly confirmed and no payments came off. A little while later I get another letter to say I failed to make the payments and now owe the full amount. 'I' failed??? No darling, you did! I called and arranged payment to come off my account and your department didn't do your job to collect the funds. So several months later I receive another letter about the outstanding amount. No indication of where or how to pay. I called to make this payment and was told to push all kinds of numbers with dob and ppc ref, then when I finally do get through we go over another set of questions and finally get told oh sorry if you want to make a payment our system is down so you have to call tomorrow. WTH??? So many companies have multiple options of how to pay without speaking to someone, this is number 1 and 2 could you have perhaps put a message in your telephone queuing music that you are having technical problems, instead of making people wait on the line and wasting time? Seriously if I was allowed to I would give you a bunch of words, but that would be seen as abusive... ha ha.

Incompetent ignorant department of government who do not comply with statutory regulations laid down to govern how they are meant to conduct their business and dealings with the public and members of the NHS pensions scheme, ignore emails, do not return phone calls and to make matters worse cannot even comply or meet timeframes provided in their own laid down complaints procedure. These emails are auto generated and still no response, totally ignore clients, THIS AUTHORITY IS NOT FIT FOR PURPOSE. MALADMINISTRATION APPEARS RIFE. Its time Ministers acted to sort out this mess of a department.

I was fined by the NHS Business Services Authority for claiming a free prescription while I was out of work and receiving Jobseeker's Allowance. It turns out that only people on income-related Employment & Support Allowance and illeagal imigrants qualify for free prescriptions — not standard JSA — but this distinction is not made clear anywhere when you're filling in the exemption box at the pharmacy counter.

There's no obvious warning, no simple checker, nothing that stops someone in good faith from ticking the wrong box.

Instead of a warning letter or a simple correction, I was hit with a penalty charge on top of the original prescription cost. This cost me just under £100.00.

No account was taken of the fact that I was unemployed and doing my best to get by, or that the mistake was an honest one caused by confusing rules rather than any attempt to defraud anyone.

I've worked and paid taxes my entire adult life, and the one time I needed a bit of support, the system's response was to punish a genuine misunderstanding rather than explain it. If the eligibility rules are going to be this narrow and this poorly signposted, the least the NHSBSA could do is make them clear before people get caught out — not fine them after the fact.

Extremely disappointing experience. Would not recommend relying on the guidance given at the point of purchase — check the small print yourself, because the NHSBSA won't help you avoid the trap.

Money grabbing scheme from hard working people for human and/or system errors. Appalling system. Highly recommend they are investigated for fraud and unlawful practices.

Despite sending correct evidence, that I was entitled too still asking for paperwork that I have already sent which clearly state under threshold

Like the vast majority of people reviewing the BSA, we would also give zero stars as a rating if we could. It is an utterly appalling organisation, a ghastly outsource company the NHS created, that glibly sends out Penalty Charge Notices to one and all.

Not only do they attack those recovering from cancer and other awful ailments, they also attack those with serious mental illness. Our son has had several episodes of extreme psychosis. We have come close to loosing him on at least two occasions.

Because our local health authority wrongly and illegally pushed their S 117 Mental Health Act discharge medication onto our local pharmacy, our son fell into a trap of being relentlessly pursued by these people, as if he were some sort of criminal. The CEO of the BSA should be sacked 🤬 Shame on you.

I made a call to make a very simple enquiry from the information that they have on record for myself. I have never come across anything that felt like being deliberately unhelpful and arrogant too. This review would be best start with ZERO star. That one star I am giving is undeserved

Stunning service that outstrips private sector or other pension schemes. Customer service both by phone and email phenomenal. They pay promptly and are very good with projections. Second time I have claimed this as I left the NHS from a full time role in 2022 but came back in a bank NHS paid role in 2023. Have no words for such a fabulous service and thank you to a superior customer call centre UK based❤️

this company sent me 3 letters with fines and l have mental health issues and my financial appointee looks my money and benefits in the local council and have harassed me 3 times to the point where this had made me ill how do you people sleep with this? bang out of order i have to take medicines 💊 every day or i become ill shame you

Appalling service. 101 in a phone cue. Took over a month to reply to an log in issue with NHS Pensions site, then 2 weeks to even get an email responce back.

I have never ever experienced such a poor run service in every way.It really sums up Britain of today. Run by un-experienced staff and when you finally get to speak to a human, they have no idea

Would give zero if possible.

Awful customer service.

Complaint not dealt with or actioned for weeks.

Stop fines for women claiming free NHS prescriptions during pregnancy!

Was fined despite my GP practice offering to write a letter confirming they were at fault. Appeal dismissed and got the sense no review had taken place. Not nice to deal with over the phone. I also found it wasn’t easy to check when a PPC was due for renewal. Thankfully I can now avoid that inconvenience by paying by direct debit and that’s the only reason I’m giving 2 stars and not 1.

When I went back to the NHS for a temporary contract - they auto-enrolled me, then didn't provide me with any information as to how I could get out. When I phoned them in January 2022, I was misled (Lied to) and told that despite already having a frozen pension (Frozen for over 16 years) any contributions, I paid during the temporary contract would be repaid when I left. They then refused to repay the money, claiming that my other pension and that pension were suddenly the same scheme.
My complaint to the Pension Ombudsman took three years and they awarded the win to the NHS because of the NHS wording in their polices and because they were told by a C Welham that I would benefit greatly by having the pension policy.
As I'm over 55 I have been trying to get both pensions paid since 21st January 2026.

They have started paying the original pension (1995 scheme) but I am still trying to get issues with the 2015 scheme resolved. They caused un-neccessary delays and then finally sent a letter dated the 27th March 2026, in which the figures - do not match the information supplied by C Welham to both Myself and the Ombudsman in an email in August 2026.

They have exceeded the 30 days and additional 20 days deadline. The 27th March letter states I have to make a decision within 28 days and I cannot get them to explain - the £1.3k difference.

I have copied in everyone including Mr Brodie and the ombudsman, but they are still not providing this information to me. Last Friday - I was promised by Vicki that I would be updated every 2-3 days, I sent her an email yesterday and she failed to answer. I have sent several emails today and still they have failed to reply.

The NHS BSA is not fit for purpose and we are wasting our time for a NHS body that treats their pension members like we are a waste of their time.

3 calls later and cut off each time !

How appalling is their phone system ? Assume employees working from home ?

No call back and I suppose they want you to give up !

Another badly run GVT dept

Designed to be frustrating. Incompetence rampant.
I assist people with forms.
When I order a HC1, it arrives two weeks or later. When the people I assist are not early enough, I have to pickup a form locally.
I am currently at my 4th Doctors surgery after trying two pharmacies.
No forms to be had.
This is the privatisation that is ahead of us. Vote accordingly.

Poor communication, lots contradictory advice. Errors were common. Very poor training. Delays and many other issus

cruel, vindictive organisation, that we in the UK pay the wages of. They are the polar opposite of the NHS.

Ive have a partial exemption for dental care. Two years ago my dentist undercharged me. Even though the course of treatment was still ongoing, and they admitted by email it was their mistake, the Nazis BSA fined me £150. Me not the dentist.
Today, they have come back with another £100 fine! I moved to a different dentist, she said she could do nothing, therefore no charge. Today they wan to fine me...again. Evil part of the NHS. They will not listen to logic reason, I did not pay enough, when the dentist said, NO CHARGE

This company it's totally evil.They do pray in ill people to get commission and do not follow the law when it comes to patient rights.All the advisers are unprofessional , rude, misleading statements to blame the patient just to collect their commission.
They should not operate on behalf of NHS as they really do not care what damage they do cause to the patient and will cost NHS more money to treat them.