Patients to receive appointment reminders, screening invitations and test results through the NHS app

As part of the reforms to the NHS, millions more patients will receive appointments, screening invitations and other important information directly via the NHS App as part of the digital-first upgrade.

Currently, almost 20 million people have opted in to receive healthcare messages via the NHS App and could soon benefit from this latest expansion.  The NHS is appealing to patients to download the NHS App and turn on notifications to make sure they receive important updates. 

This simpler management of appointments and healthcare requests will give patients more control over their healthcare. In 2023/24, there were around 8 million missed appointments in elective care, and around 30% of people missed a screening appointment. With reminders about upcoming appointments and important messages, the NHS hopes to reduce the number of missed appointments. 

Where app messaging is not available, communications will be sent via SMS and then by letter as a last resort. This means that people without access to smartphones and elderly patients can still receive messages through traditional routes, ensuring that no vital information is missed. Those without smartphone access will also benefit from phone lines being freed up, with many patients able to get the information they need digitally.

Accessible communications will continue to be supported for those with specific requirements.

Health and Social Care Secretary, Wes Streeting, said: “People are living increasingly busy lives and want to access information about their health at the touch of a button, rather than having to wait weeks for letters that often arrive too late. This government is bringing our analogue health service into the digital age, so that being a patient in the NHS is as convenient as online banking or ordering a takeaway.

“The NHS still spends hundreds of millions of pounds on stamps, printing, and envelopes. By modernising the health service, we can free up huge amounts of funding to reinvest in the frontline.

“Through the investment and reform in our Plan for Change, we will make the NHS App the front door to the health service and put power in the hands of patients.”