The NHS App should become the ‘default option’ for GP practices to contact patients starting from the next financial year, according to new guidance.
An NHS England medium-term planning document said that there should be a transition for all messaging to NHS Notify, using NHS App-based ‘push’ notifications ‘as the default option’ to contact patients.
The document also said that from April next year, the NHS must begin to make ‘at least 95% of appointments available’ after appropriate triage via the NHS App ‘across all care settings’.
NHS providers must move all direct-to-patient communication services to NHS Notify, ‘terminating local arrangements’.
‘Transitions should start in 2026/27, with providers completing migration by the end of 2028/29,’ the document added.
And by the end of 2028/29 providers should also ensure patients can manage their medicines, view waiting times and receive and complete pre and post-appointment questionnaires through the NHS App.
As part of the 10-year plan for health, NHS App will be expanded to include a new ‘My NHS GP’ tool, which will handle non-urgent care enquiries using AI.
And as previously announced, the NHS App will also get an AI feature that will allow patients to discuss their health issues and help guide their GP consultations.
The new guidance also mentioned that through the app patients will have the option of being referred to a new ‘online hospital’ from 2027, as announced by the Prime Minister last month.
The document said: ‘Using the NHS App, patients will have the option of being referred to the online hospital for their specialist care following a GP appointment.
‘This new model of care will enhance patient choice and control, while helping to reduce patient waiting times.’
As NHS Online is rolled out, the initial focus will be on ‘a small number of high priority treatments’ that currently have the longest waits, and will expand over time to include further types of treatment, the Government added.
Set to be rolled out from 2027, the Government hopes that new scheme will deliver ‘the equivalent of up to 8.5 million appointments and assessments in its first three years’. In the first instance, the service will build and scale ‘tried-and-tested innovations’ such as AI and remote monitoring.
A version of this story was first published on our sister title Pulse.
