Major NHS App expansion cuts waiting times

Millions of patients are benefiting from greater choice and flexibility in the way they access healthcare as the Prime Minister welcomes a major milestone in the roll out of the NHS App today.   

Latest data shows 1.5 million appointments have been saved thanks to the Government's accelerated rollout of the NHS App, which helps patients access treatment more conveniently so that it fits around their lives, rather than the other way round.  

Making sure patients get greater power over how and when they can book their treatments and appointments is at the heart of the government's plans to end hospital backlogs and improve care through the Plan for Change.   

Users can manage appointments, view prescriptions, access their GP health record, and receive notifications at the touch of a button, reducing stress on healthcare services and providing easier access to information and services.   

The government has exceeded its first target under the plan to increase the number of hospitals allowing patients to view appointment information via the App up to 85% by the end of March – reaching 87%, up from 68% in July 2024. 

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said:

“Our NHS has been stuck in the dark ages – held back by old fashioned systems where patients are struggling for appointments and unable to access their own data.

“We saw during the pandemic how apps can totally transform everyday access to health services. So there's no excuse for the lack of progress in the NHS we've inherited.

“NHS reform has to come through better use of tech - it's the fuel we need to power change.

“As we deliver our Plan for Change to end hospital backlogs, I want to see more and more people having the option to use the app, so that everyone benefits from more control and choice over their treatment.”

Measures to expand the use of the App were set out earlier this year in the government's Elective Reform Plan, which set out how patients will be offered a wider choice of providers and an easier, quicker way to book appointments.  

The move comes as the government steps up the use of health data to accelerate the discovery of life-saving drugs and improve patient care. Earlier this month, the Prime Minister announced an investment alongside Wellcome Trust of up to £600 million to create a new health data research service. This will transform access to NHS data by providing a secure single access point to national-scale data sets, slashing red tape for researchers and boosting the UK's world leading life sciences sector.   

Health Secretary Wes Streeting said:      

“This government is determined to get our NHS fixed and fit for the future - and this is just one of the innovative ways through the Plan for Change that we're helping patients, cutting waiting lists and saving taxpayers money all at the same time.  

“By putting the latest technology into the hands of patients so they can access services quicker, we're freeing up more time for doctors and nurses to focus on treating people and getting waiting lists down.

“This government is doing things differently. Every missed appointment and wasted staff hour saved means another patient getting the care they need as we drive a digital NHS revolution through our Plan for Change.”  

Since July, the increased use of existing app features have saved almost 5.7 million hours of staff time including 1.26 million clinical hours across care settings – together with the 1.5 million missed appointments avoided, the NHS App has helped save the equivalent of £622 million.

The app has spared staff from tasks such as managing appointments, completing questionnaires, ordering repeat prescriptions and taking patient details, freeing up frontline staff to focus directly on patient care and treatment.

And new analysis shows patients are getting faster treatment, with trusts that offer services through the app and patient online systems cutting waiting times for more elective care patients than those who do not.  

Trusts who use the app's key features saw a 3-percentage point increase in the number waiting less than 18 weeks in November 2024. This would equate to up to 211,000 more treatments meeting the 18 week target over the same time period if expanded to all hospitals across the country. 

With more patients able to access correspondence digitally through the App, almost 12 million fewer paper letters have been sent by hospitals since July – saving £5.2million in postage costs. Forecasts for this year show the use of in-app notifications for planned care will prevent the need for 15.7million SMS messages – saving the NHS a further £985,000.     

To assist elderly and more vulnerable patients, 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. 

Dr Vin Diwakar, NHS national clinical transformation director, said:

“The NHS App is leading the way in switching from analogue to digital services, empowering over 37 million users with faster access to information and slashing waiting times.

“With services now live in 87% of hospitals it is also boosting NHS productivity, cutting the number of missed appointments and freeing up almost 5.7 million staff hours since July alone."

The interim chief executive of NHS Providers, Saffron Cordery said:

“Any innovations that give patients more control over their care, reduce the risk of missed appointments and free up valuable staff time so that they can focus on patients are a step in the right direction.

“While it's really positive that even more hospitals are now offering services through the NHS App, trust leaders know that not everyone has access to or feels comfortable using technology. That's why it's welcome that alongside paper letters and phone calls, the NHS is offering more support to help elderly and more vulnerable patients access online health services including via the NHS App.”        

Planned NHS App upgrades are set to include the ability for patients to choose from a wide range of providers through the app; book tests at convenient locations, such as their local community diagnostic centre; and receive test results quickly through the app before choosing the next step.   

The app drive is part of the government's wider ambitions to shift NHS services from analogue to digital and cut waiting lists under its Plan for Change. With a total of three million additional appointments already delivered six months early, the government is exceeding its own targets and driving down waiting lists at pace, which have fallen for six months in a row and by 219,000 since July.   

The milestone follows the government's announcement that 4.5 million tests, checks and scans were carried out in Community Diagnostic Centres (CDCs) between July and February, a 50% increase on the previous year. Alongside this, NHS waiting lists in the areas with the highest economic inactivity have been slashed by almost 50,000 between October and February – a number larger than Stamford Bridge stadium. 

Ends.

Notes to editors:

• NHS England calculated the 1.5 million saved appointments by using monthly data from the NHS app and patient portal suppliers. They looked at how patients' use of online services and the NHS App affected appointment attendance across different hospital trusts.
• Evidence suggests use of the App and Patient Engagement Portal integrations is helping cut waiting lists, with modelling suggesting the wider use could see up to 211,000 more treatments meeting the 18 week target if expanded to all trusts across the country. 
• Paper letters are still available for those who need them, such as elderly and vulnerable patients. They can also make use of accessible training demonstrations available online, showing patients how to navigate the platform simply and easily. Meanwhile, online appointments and phone calls will remain available across all trusts.
•  The 5.7m hours of staff time includes both clinical and admin time across both primary and secondary care.  This equates to 1.26m clinical hours and 4.4m admin hours.