NHS app to become new ‘front door’ for appointments, screenings and test results
NHS patient app to become main route for appointments and test results
- The NHS app will become the primary communication channel for patients, delivering appointment reminders, screening invitations, and test results directly to smartphones.
- The Department of Health and Social Care is investing in the app to save the health service £200 million over three years by reducing reliance on traditional postal services.
- The £50 million investment will facilitate the delivery of 270 million messages through the NHS app this year, an increase of 70 million from the previous year.
- Push notifications will remind patients of appointments, addressing the issue of approximately eight million missed elective care appointments in 2023/24.
- Health Secretary Wes Streeting likens the transition to digital communication to everyday conveniences like online banking or ordering a takeaway, aiming to modernise the health service and reinvest savings into frontline services.