The coronavirus outbreak has prompted a big increase in registrations to use the NHS App and usage of the 111 online service, according to NHS Digital.
It has also reported an upswing in the overall use of technology in the health service since the start of the pandemic.
NHS App registrations in March totalled 119,512, an increase of 111% from the February figure of 56,555.
The number of repeat prescription requests made via the app increased by 97% - from 50,341 in February to 98,984 in March, and the number of patient record views rose by 62% - from 276,400 in February to 448,477 in March.
Similarly, NHS 111 online users averaged 548,245 per day over March, compared with a long term average of 10,000. On its busiest day, 17 March, the total was around 950,000.
Other figures show:
-
NHS Pathways triage software was used in 1,624,258 calls to 111 and 999, a 12.2% increase from March last year;
-
the number of NHS login accounts increased by 45% over the month to just over 1 million;
-
pharmacies registered an increase in Electronic Prescribing Service nominations from 33.27 million on 28 February to 34.52 million on 27 March;
-
Microsoft Teams, which was recently made available to NHS organisations for free for a limited time, was used to facilitate 973,072 private online chats – rising from 6,804 on 22 March 243,927 on 26 March.
In addition, a survey of 1,000 people carried out by research consultancy nfpSynergy revealed that 38% had increased their use of NHS technology.
Ben Davison NHS Digital’s executive director for product development said: “Good technology is making it possible for doctors, nurses and other health professionals to continue to deliver care remotely where possible and freeing up time for those patients who need face-to-face care. It’s keeping people well whilst they are isolated with good information and advice and the ability to manage things like prescriptions remotely.
“We’re fully prepared for the numbers using NHS tech to continue increasing over the coming days and weeks, as the general public continue to play a key role in helping to ease the burden on our fantastic frontline services.”
Image from NHS Digital
