The British government has announced plans to launch a new NHS mobile app that will let patients in England make appointments with their doctor.

The app will also allow users to order repeat prescriptions, manage their long-term healthcare, see their medical records, and quickly access 111 for urgent queries.

NHS App
In addition, users will have access to patient preferences related to data sharing, organ donation, and end-of-life care.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt described the app as a "birthday present from the NHS to the British people", 70 years after the service was founded.

The NHS app is a world-first which will put patients firmly in the driving seat and revolutionize the way we access health services.

I want this innovation to mark the death-knell of the 8am scramble for GP appointments that infuriates so many patients.

Technology has transformed everyday life when it comes to banking, travel and shopping. Health matters much more to all of us, and the prize of that same digital revolution in healthcare isn't just convenience but lives improved, extended and saved.

As the NHS turns 70 and we draw up a long-term plan for the NHS on the back of our £394 million a week funding boost, it's time to catch up and unleash the power of technology to transform everyday life for patients.

"The new app will put the NHS into the pocket of everyone in England but it is just one step on the journey," said Matthew Swindells, NHS England National Director of Operations and Information. "We are also developing an NHS Apps Library and putting free NHS Wi-Fi in GP surgeries and hospitals."


Developed by NHS Digital and NHS England, the app will enter its testing phase in September and then roll out officially in December. It will be available on iOS devices through the App Store, as well as on Android phones via Google Play.

Top Rated Comments

jasonsmith_88 Avatar
83 months ago
The NHS could be fixed with ease. Ban free healthcare for drug addicts, alcoholics and obese - make them pay for their own self inflicated problems. Why should people who look after their health subsidise those who don’t?
Absolutely! And let's ban those who get injured in road accidents, because they knew the dangers and chose to drive anyway. But let's also ban it for those who choose to walk, because they knew spending time outside was exposing them to pollution. Let's also ban it for disabled people if the parents were warned in advance that conceiving would result in a high risk of disability. We should also ban it for anyone using any kind of machinery that has a non-zero chance of causing injury. But why stop there? Let's ban it for anyone that does anything that has a non-zero chance of injury, that's self-infliction and I'll be damned if I'm paying for that!

If you prefer a system where people needlessly die because "my tax money shouldn't go there", feel free to move to a country that doesn't have universal healthcare. There's plenty of them.

Meanwhile, the rest of us who believe that every human has a basic right to not die from completely curable ailments will continue to support a system that provides unbiased universal healthcare to everyone.
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)
matjamca Avatar
83 months ago
Why only in England?

I’m all for it though, absolutely stupid the current free for all system. Far too many pensioners taking all the appointments over nothing resulting in a nightmare for younger people trying to get an occasional appointment.

Sister nearly died of sepsis thanks to A, incredibly rude and unhelpful receptionist staff and B, pensioners taking forever while she nearly passed out in the waiting room.

The NHS could be fixed with ease. Ban free healthcare for drug addicts, alcoholics and obese - make them pay for their own self inflicated problems. Why should people who look after their health subsidise those who don’t?
Also give £20 fines for those who fail to turn up to appointments.

The UK lacks any sense of personal responsibility.
[doublepost=1530617944][/doublepost]

Perhaps focusing everything in one straight forward location is a good idea? I certainly think so.

A bit like the gov.uk website that focused all information in one place with easy to use and find interfaces.
Addiction, Alcoholism and Obesity are often linked with mental health problems such as depression. You cannot ban those patients from using the NHS.

Besides, those people will be paying tax one way or another and so would be more than entitled to NHS care.
[doublepost=1530624511][/doublepost]
Absolutely! And let's ban those who get injured in road accidents, because they knew the dangers and chose to drive anyway. But let's also ban it for those who choose to walk, because they knew spending time outside was exposing them to pollution. Let's also ban it for disabled people if the parents were warned in advance that conceiving would result in a high risk of disability. We should also ban it for anyone using any kind of machinery that has a non-zero chance of causing injury. But why stop there? Let's ban it for anyone that does anything that has a non-zero chance of injury, that's self-infliction and I'll be damned if I'm paying for that!

If you prefer a system where people needlessly die because "my tax money shouldn't go there", feel free to move to a country that doesn't have universal healthcare. There's plenty of them.

Meanwhile, the rest of us who believe that every human has a basic right to not die from completely curable ailments will continue to support a system that provides unbiased universal healthcare to everyone.
Well said!
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Gilligan's last elephant Avatar
83 months ago


The NHS could be fixed with ease. Ban free healthcare for drug addicts, alcoholics and obese - make them pay for their own self inflicated problems. Why should people who look after their health subsidise those who don’t?
Also give £20 fines for those who fail to turn up to appointments.

The UK lacks any sense of personal responsibility
.
So what about people who get injured participating in xtreme sports. That is self inflicted. Can of worms methinks :-)
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
johnyslats Avatar
83 months ago
Death-knell of the 8am scramble? Doubtful! Been managing my GP appointments online for a number of years and the first bookable slots are always weeks away. In my experience, anything more urgent will always require a call or 8am visit in person to secure an appointment
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Gudd Avatar
83 months ago
How is this any different from the multiple apps that already exist? Seems like a waste of resources.
Agreed. Been doing this for several years now with the "Patient Access" application. OK, so "application" is stretching it a bit since it is just an app wrapper around the website but you could say that of many apps from lazy developers. I haven't needed to book an appointment with a doctor for years now (fortunately), but I've been ordering repeat prescriptions in the app for multiple years.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
nnoble Avatar
83 months ago
People in the UK could give the NHS their own present by looking after themselves better and stop abusing the system.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

best buy holiday

Best Buy Reveals Black Friday Plans With Sitewide Sales Available Now

Friday November 8, 2024 10:05 am PST by
Black Friday sales are continuing today with Best Buy kicking off early Black Friday deals that will last for the next few days. Similar to other retailers, Best Buy's early Black Friday event includes sitewide savings on Apple products, headphones, TVs, monitors, video games, and more. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Best Buy. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may...
mac mini thermal architecture feature

New Mac Mini Has Modular Storage, 256GB Model Will Have Faster SSD

Friday November 8, 2024 7:06 am PST by
Apple has returned to using two 128GB storage chips in the new Mac mini with 256GB of storage, according to a partial teardown video shared on social media today. This means the base-model Mac mini with the M4 chip will not have significantly slower SSD speeds compared to higher-end configurations of the computer with 512GB, 1TB, or 2TB of storage, as multiple NAND chips allows for faster SSD...
iphone passcode green

Cops Suspect iOS 18 iPhones Are Communicating to Force Reboots, Making Unlocking Harder

Thursday November 7, 2024 2:20 pm PST by
Law enforcement officials in Detroit, Michigan are warning other police officers about an alleged iPhone change that causes Apple devices stored for forensic examination to spontaneously restart, reports 404 Media. iPhones that are undergoing examination have apparently been rebooting, which makes them harder to unlock with brute force methods, and Michigan police think that it's due to a...
Generic iOS 18

Everything New in iOS 18.2 Beta 2

Monday November 4, 2024 12:34 pm PST by
Apple today seeded the second betas of upcoming iOS 18.2 and iPadOS 18.2 updates to developers, and Apple is continuing to refine the Apple Intelligence capabilities. There are also a handful of smaller features that are worth knowing about. Find My Find My has a new option to Share Item Location with an "airline or trusted person" that can help you locate something that you've misplaced....
maxresdefault

Hands On With Apple's New M4 Mac Mini

Friday November 8, 2024 12:21 pm PST by
Apple launched the new Mac mini, iMac, and MacBook Pro models with M4 chips today, and because the Mac mini is the only one of the machines that got a design update, we thought we'd check it out to see how it compares to the prior version. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. The 2024 version of the Mac mini is much smaller than the previous M2 model, so it takes up...
High Power Mode Feature 2

Apple Expands High Power Mode to MacBook Pro and Mac Mini Models With M4 Pro Chip

Thursday November 7, 2024 12:15 pm PST by
High Power Mode is available on the 14-inch MacBook Pro, 16-inch MacBook Pro, and Mac mini models with the M4 Pro chip, according to Ars Technica's Andrew Cunningham. The feature was previously limited to Macs with Apple's highest-end "Max" chip, so this is the first time it is available on Macs with a "Pro" chip. This is the second time that Apple has expanded availability of High Power...
next generation carplay multi display

Here's the Latest on Next-Generation CarPlay After 2.5 Years of Waiting

Wednesday November 6, 2024 8:33 am PST by
It has been nearly two and a half years since Apple first previewed next-generation CarPlay at WWDC 2022, and it has still yet to become available in any vehicles. Below, we recap the latest information about next-generation CarPlay. Launch Timing Apple's website continues to say that the first vehicles with next-generation CarPlay support will "arrive in 2024," but it has yet to provide ...
Apple MacBook Pro M4 hero

Skipping the New MacBook Pro? Here Are the Rumors About M5 Models

Friday November 8, 2024 9:35 am PST by
The new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with M4, M4 Pro, and M4 Max chips launched in stores today. If you are not planning to upgrade this year, be aware that there are already rumors about next year's MacBook Pro models with M5 series chips. It appears the MacBook Pro will remain on an annual upgrade cycle next year. Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo today said camera module...