The health service shared the news online this morning
The NHS has announced a major change for millions of patients who attend referrals and appointments, and regularly use its app in a new update. The health service shared the news on social media this morning, April 29.
In a post on X, the NHS said: “You can now manage your hospital appointments using the NHS App!” While NHS England wrote: “Hospital patients can now check their referrals and appointments through the NHS App. The NHS App is now linked up to every acute NHS trust in England, helping hospitals to save money by reducing the need for paper letters and text messages.”
Hospital patients at every NHS trust across England can now check their referrals and appointments through the NHS app. The update is designed to make it easier for millions of people to manage their care in one place.
Around two-thirds (64%) of all hospital appointments are currently visible in the app. Many patients can also reschedule or cancel them, helping reduce missed appointments.
The NHS App is now linked to every acute NHS trust in England, which the health service says is helping hospitals save money by reducing the need for paper letters and SMS text messages. The app is also freeing up staff time and resources, which is “increasing productivity and helping reduce waiting lists”.
Around 41 million people are registered with the NHS App to access services. These include test results, prescriptions, patient records, patient messaging and appointment information from wherever they are.
According to the NHS, more than 15 million users logged into the app during March alone, up by almost a third over the last 12 months. Prescription ordering through the app also increased by more than a third, which the health service says saves time for both patients and NHS staff.
Patients at all acute NHS trusts commissioned to provide services for adults can now view their referrals and appointments through the NHS App. The NHS says there were 8.7 million views last month, up 93% compared to a year ago.
People being treated at around half of trusts can receive appointment reminders via NHS App push notifications, preventing missed appointments. They can also view health documents, such as discharge summaries, in the app, reducing the need for paperwork.
New features planned for the NHS App over the next year include follow-up appointment requests and access to specialist care through the NHS’s new online hospital.
Jules Hunt, Director General of Technology, Digital and Data for the NHS, said: “Millions of patients across England can now easily access information about their hospital referrals and appointments through the NHS App, giving them more control and choice about their care and cutting out unnecessary paperwork.
“This is a great example of how we’re transforming patients’ experience of healthcare and harnessing digital technology as part of the Government’s 10 Year Health Plan. The technology is helping to reduce missed appointments and freeing up vital NHS staff time so they can tackle waiting lists more effectively – and I’d encourage all NHS App users to make the most of its features.”
Dr Zubir Ahmed, Health Innovation and Safety Minister, said: “The NHS App is already transforming the way people manage their care — and these figures show just how popular it is. With patients at every hospital now able to view their referrals and appointments, and millions more ordering prescriptions and receiving health messages digitally, we are cutting the admin burden while helping to drive down waiting lists.
“Fewer missed appointments means more patients getting the treatment they need, sooner. The NHS App is central to our ambition of shifting the NHS from analogue to digital and giving the patient more control – and we’re only just starting there.”
The NHS says that NHS Online, which will see its first patients next year, will “transform and modernise the delivery of healthcare by providing triage through the NHS App and video consultations with doctors.”
It added: “The service will speed up specialist care by digitally connecting patients with expert clinicians across England, no matter where they are in the country, providing faster access to treatments. The NHS App has also recently been updated to make it simpler, more intuitive and easier to navigate – with key services like prescriptions, appointments and test results quicker to find from the new homepage.”
