The NHS app is set to become the primary communication channel for patients, offering appointment reminders, screening invitations, and test results directly to their smartphones.
The Department of Health and Social Care has announced a significant investment in the app, with the goal of saving the health service £200 million over the next three years.
This initiative aims to reduce the reliance on traditional postal services, avoiding the need to send at least 50 million NHS letters annually.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting likened the transition from analogue to digital communication to everyday conveniences such as “online banking or ordering a takeaway”.
This £50 million investment will facilitate the delivery of 270 million messages through the NHS app this year, marking an increase of 70 million compared to the previous financial year.
Push notifications will serve as appointment reminders, addressing the issue of missed appointments, which amounted to approximately eight million in elective care during 2023/24.
More than 11 million people in the UK currently log into the NHS app every month, while almost 20 million are opted in to receive healthcare messages from the app.
Where app messaging is not available, particularly for elderly patients without smartphones, communications will be sent via text message and then by letter as a last resort and phone lines will be freed up.
It is hoped the changes will give patients better access to manage their healthcare journey and make informed decisions about their care.
NHS app services, which were launched in December 2018, are now used in 87% of hospitals across England.
Last month, NHS England announced millions of patients would be able to get “Amazon-style” tracking updates on their prescriptions through the app, to check if their medicines are ready to collect or have been despatched for delivery.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting said: “People are living increasingly busy lives and want to access information about their health at the touch of a button, rather than having to wait weeks for letters that often arrive too late.
“This Government is bringing our analogue health service into the digital age, so that being a patient in the NHS is as convenient as online banking or ordering a takeaway.
“The NHS still spends hundreds of millions of pounds on stamps, printing, and envelopes. By modernising the health service, we can free up huge amounts of funding to reinvest in the front line.
“Through the investment and reform in our Plan for Change, we will make the NHS App the front door to the health service and put power in the hands of patients.”
Rachel Power, chief executive of the Patient’s Association, said: “This major upgrade to the NHS App marks a significant step in modernising how patients receive information, from test results to screening invitations.
“This was a recommendation from our Digital Coalition and realises changes that patients have asked for.
“We welcome this investment and the ambition behind it. Success for any digital innovation will be the implementation of the Digital Inclusion Plan and working directly with patients and communities.”
