The Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) has announced plans for new features for the NHS App, such as enabling them book appointments in more settings and receive test results.
It has included them among a raft of proposals under its Elective Reform Plan, aimed at giving patients more power over how and why they receive elective treatment.
Plans for the app include enabling users to view and manage appointments, choose from a range of providers – including in the independent sector – book diagnostic tests at locations such as community diagnostic centres, and receive test results before choosing the next step in their treatment.
DHSC said that, as a first step, by March 2025 patients at over 85% of acute trusts will be able to view appointment information via the NHS App.
They will also be able to contact their treatment provider to receive information and updates, including how long they are likely to wait for their appointment.
Reducing waits
The proposals are part of the Elective Reform Plan, to be announced this week, which will set out how the Government and NHS will deliver on its Plan for Change to slash the waiting list and cut waiting times to 18 weeks by the end of this Parliament.
NHS England chief executive Amanda Pritchard said: “NHS staff are providing record levels of elective care but with too many patients waiting, we know we need to reform further and faster so we can take our progress on the backlog to the next level.
“That is why as part of the Elective Reform Plan we will fully harness the potential of the NHS app, giving patients more information, choice and control over their care while freeing up the time of our staff so they can work more productively too.
“Using technology to revolutionise access to NHS care, alongside offering more availability of tests, check and scans closer to people’s homes will help us tackle waiting times and put patients in the driving seat of elective care.”
DHSC said that measures to improve two-way communication between patients and clinicians, as well as making better use of AI to predict missed appointments, could also save an additional one million missed appointments per year.
Sending reminders has been shown to reduce missed appointments by up to 80%, and trusts have reported better results when communication is two-way with the patient.
Lagging behind
The NHS currently lags behind in digital communications, with just 8% of bookings after a referral being made via the NHS App or the Manage Your Referral website. The proposals are aimed at driving up up this figure by making the two channels the default routes for patients to choose their provider, or decide not to make that choice themselves.
Upgrades for the app will also support the effort to give patients more power in choosing how they receive follow-ups for care – digitally or in-person – receiving a shortlist of providers to choose from, contacting their provider for any necessary follow-up, and deciding on whether this is necessary.
Work is also underway to pilot AI services that identify patients more likely to miss appointments and provide support, such as free transport to those most in need.
