NHS app to save government £200m, internal anaysis suggests

Saturday 07 June 2025 10:25 am
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Saturday 07 June 2025 10:26 am

The NHS app might save the federal government hundreds of thousands as it’s going to develop into the default technique of communication for sufferers looking for appointment reminders, screening invites and check outcomes.

Thousands and thousands extra individuals will obtain private well being data on to their smartphones throughout the subsequent three years in a transfer that’s anticipated to save lots of the well being service £200m, the Division of Well being and Social Care mentioned.

It’s going to additionally keep away from the necessity for at the least 50m NHS letters being despatched by put up annually, with the Well being Secretary likening the shift from analogue to digital to “on-line banking or ordering a takeaway”.

The £50m authorities funding will see 270m messages despatched by means of the NHS app this yr, a rise of 70m on the earlier monetary yr.

Push notifications will present appointment reminders to sufferers to attempt to cut back the danger of no attendance, with round eight million missed appointments in elective care missed in 2023/24.

Greater than 11m individuals within the UK at the moment log into the NHS app each month, whereas virtually 20m are opted in to obtain healthcare messages from the app.

The place app messaging just isn’t accessible, significantly for aged sufferers with out smartphones, communications might be despatched through textual content message after which by letter as a final resort and telephone traces might be freed up.

It’s hoped the adjustments will give sufferers higher entry to handle their healthcare journey and make knowledgeable choices about their care.

Extra monitoring updates in NHS app

NHS app providers, which have been launched in December 2018, at the moment are utilized in 87% of hospitals throughout England.

Final month, NHS England introduced hundreds of thousands of sufferers would be capable to get “Amazon-style” monitoring updates on their prescriptions by means of the app, to examine if their medicines are prepared to gather or have been despatched for supply.

Well being Secretary Wes Streeting mentioned: “Persons are dwelling more and more busy lives and wish to entry details about their well being on the contact of a button, somewhat than having to attend weeks for letters that always arrive too late.

“This Authorities is bringing our analogue well being service into the digital age, in order that being a affected person within the NHS is as handy as on-line banking or ordering a takeaway.

“The NHS nonetheless spends lots of of hundreds of thousands of kilos on stamps, printing, and envelopes. By modernising the well being service, we will release enormous quantities of funding to reinvest within the entrance line.

“By the funding and reform in our Plan for Change, we’ll make the NHS App the entrance door to the well being service and put energy within the fingers of sufferers.”

Rachel Energy, chief government of the Affected person’s Affiliation, mentioned: “This main improve to the NHS App marks a major step in modernising how sufferers obtain data, from check outcomes to screening invites.

“This was a advice from our Digital Coalition and realises adjustments that sufferers have requested for.

“We welcome this funding and the ambition behind it. Success for any digital innovation would be the implementation of the Digital Inclusion Plan and dealing straight with sufferers and communities.”

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