The NHS is now offering the public support in how to access online health services including the NHS App at 1,400 libraries across England.
More than two in five public library services (64 out of 151) in England have already signed up to offer the service with several more expected to join in the coming months.
The NHS has been working with the National Health Literacy Partnership over recent weeks to provide public and NHS libraries with toolkits and information resources to enable them to support their service users.
This is particularly important for people from more deprived communities where they may not have access to the internet or a device at home.
Libraries already play a vital role in making online services more accessible and according to a recent survey by Ipsos, librarians are the third most trusted profession in Britain.
More than 35 million have now registered for the NHS App since its launch in December 2018.
The NHS App is home to a range of features that enable patients to access services from the comfort of their homes – from viewing their GP health record to nominating their preferred pharmacy.
Professor Bola Owolabi, Director of the National Healthcare Inequalities Improvement Programme at NHS England, said: “The NHS is determined to ensure that everyone has easy access to the latest health advice, particularly those who do not own a device or the internet, as these people are also the most likely to have poor health outcomes.
“Which is why healthcare staff will now be available in 1,400 public libraries across the country to show people how to use the NHS app or seek out health information online in a free and safe environment close to their home.
“More than 35 million people in England are already using the NHS app to view their GP records, test results and prescriptions so they can better manage their health, and the NHS hopes that many more will benefit from the offer through this new initiative.”
Louis Coiffait-Gunn, CEO at CILIP, the Library and Information Association, said: “The recent health literacy pilots in public libraries demonstrate that people want to be shown how to use NHS.uk and the NHS app by trained public library professionals.
“This phased rollout through public libraries will help even more people access and make the most of their own health information online, in order to ultimately improve their health outcomes. This is particularly important for disadvantaged communities, where libraries are such important local hubs.”
Digital sessions are already underway at Bitterne library in Southampton.
Susanne McCaffery, retired, 62, said: “I came to the library today because I wanted to know more about the NHS app. I found out about this digital session on the library’s Facebook page and a very friendly lady has helped me, one to one.
“She went through how to log in, how to do my passport, how to look around all the different features, so I found it very helpful. I’m not only using the NHS app for my repeat prescription, but I have looked around, and I think it is good, because you can see your hospital appointments too.
“I’ve actually shared it with a couple of friends, and I’ve got them on to the NHS app too. It’s very helpful. It almost helps you to help yourself a little bit more.”
New and innovative features continue to be rolled out onto the NHS App to help patients access convenient and high-quality care when and where they need it.
Patients in many parts of the country are now able to view and manage their hospital appointments on the App, and many GP practices are now sending NHS App notifications to patients with appointment reminders and other messages relating to their care.
Details on how to register with the NHS App are available at NHS.UK.
You can also access a full list of the public library services taking part.
