Health

17 October 2025

Australians continue to highly regard the care and support health practitioners provide them. But, even among those who are highly satisfied, most still believe more can be done. Health consumers want more today from a health practitioner than just good care. While there are some ongoing areas of concern, there are also a number of encouraging ‘green shoots’ in this year’s report and plenty of customer verbatims. 

You can read the report cover to cover – or there is a summary at the back of the report.

Download the report to find out more. 

How NAB Health customers are using the report

Jason Condello, Owner and Dental Surgeon at Smile Forever Dental, Perth

“In practice, it’s easy to get bogged down in the day-to-day operations of running a healthcare business. The NAB Health insights report provides a great overview of the business from the perspective of our most important stakeholders…. our patients. As such, it is a valuable tool to help us understand the market more broadly and therefore identify our strengths and weaknesses or validate our current practices.

As business owners, we have to understand the markets we operate in. We can’t be all things to all people and working on our core competencies and optimising the delivery of care to our patients is essential. The Health Insights report represents a detailed segmentation of the market and enables us as health practitioners/business owners to optimise our service delivery.

The trend that stood out to me was the issue of affordability. It is an issue that we face continuously. I believe that the cost of care becomes less of an issue if patients perceive value in what they are receiving. There is an onus on practitioners to spend time with their patients to demonstrate understanding and empathy for them. I equally understand time pressures placed on practitioners by factors beyond our control. It is a delicate balance.

 Every day, consumers (patients) have to make budgeting decisions in their life and health care is one of them. The dental space is largely privately funded and as such, people are making sacrifices in their budget to fund treatment. They are more likely to proceed with treatment if they perceive great value (not necessarily the cheapest).”

Niraj Shekhawatia, CEO of Hello Home Doctor Service

“The NAB Health Insights Report acts as both a benchmark and a mirror for us. It helps our leadership team translate national trends into local action across our medical, allied-health services. By analysing patient satisfaction drivers, particularly access, affordability, and communication, we’re able to refine our care model and measure whether our patients’ experiences align with national sentiment. I find it particularly valuable in strategic planning and patient-experience mapping, ensuring that our operational investments match what patients value most: responsiveness, empathy, and clear communication.

Reports like NAB Health Insights provide an evidence-based foundation for balancing clinical quality with commercial sustainability. For practitioners and business leaders alike, they highlight how patient loyalty and satisfaction link directly to service design - not just medical outcomes. At RNMC Group, we’ve used similar insights to guide decisions such as expanding bulk-billing access for chronic-disease patients, implementing extended-hours GP services, and introducing digital appointment systems that reduce waiting times. These data-driven adjustments improve both patient experience and financial performance, aligning care delivery with evolving community expectations.

Three findings stood out from the report:

First, the Net Promoter Scores show that while most Australians trust their practitioners, younger consumers are more discerning, reflecting our own experience that younger patients expect convenience and transparency as part of quality care.

Second, the mental-health access data - showing shorter wait times but persistent affordability issues - strongly resonates with what we see across primary and specialist care. It reinforces our push to integrate mental-health professionals within our GP clinics to streamline referral pathways.

Finally, the sections on value for money and practitioner communication align directly with our training and feedback systems, reminding us that the tone of care often defines the trust patients feel more than the treatment itself.”

Paul Halabi, Pharmacy Owner, Melbourne

“The NAB Health Insights report is a valuable resource for understanding changing patient expectations and broader healthcare trends. It helps me reflect on how our pharmacy operates day to day and identify opportunities to improve the way we support our patients. I also find it useful as a benchmarking tool to see how our approach aligns with wider industry developments.

Reports like NAB’s Health Insights Report helps practitioners step back from daily operations and look at the bigger picture. They reinforce the importance of patient connection, communication, and accessibility – all key factors in building trust and loyalty. For me, it’s a reminder that genuine care and consistent service are just as important as the clinical side of pharmacy practice.

The insights around patient trust, convenience, and expectations resonated strongly with me. We see every day how much patients value personal interaction and reliability. The report confirmed that even small, consistent improvements in how we deliver care and support our community can make a meaningful difference to patient satisfaction and long-term loyalty.”

Looking to connect with a NAB Health banker?

 Visit  www.nab.com.au/health, opens in new window

Health