New data shows that 1.5 million appointments have been saved following the government’s accelerated rollout of the NHS App.
The app enables users to 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.
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.
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.”
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 the Wellcome Trust of up to £600 million to create a new health data research service.
This aims to 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 and Social Care 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 2024, the increased use of existing app features has 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.
