Millions more patients to receive screening invites and appointment reminders on NHS app
Millions more patients are set to receive appointment reminders, screening invitations, and test on their smartphones via the NHS app.
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The NHS is trying to make its app the go-to method of communication between the health system and patients.
This avoids the need for at least 50 million costly letters to go through the postal system, it has claimed.
Now, 270 million messages are expected to be sent through the NHS App this year thanks to more than £50 million worth of investment. That's up 70 million from last year.
Patient in England will receive all appropriate NHS messages through the App first, and where app messaging is not available, communications will be sent via SMS and then by letter as a last resort.
Read more: NHS app reform leads to 1.5 million fewer appointments being missed, ministers reveal
The Health Department says this "digital revolution" will save an estimated £200m across the system over the next three years.
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."
Speaking to LBC News' David Harper, Graeme Stewart from cyber security firm Checkpoint raised concerns around the app.
“There are some real concerns, because what you're going to then have is basically a repository of everyone's information," he said.
He said this makes him "nervous" from a security point of view because "that then becomes the biggest target."
“If you think about all the hacks that have happened recently, imagine a system where everyone's patient record is contained within one system,” he added.
In April, ministers revealed that reform of the NHS app resulted in 1.5 million fewer appointments being missed.
This has helped to cut waiting times for elective surgery and other appointments, according to NHS England analysis of data from the app.
Sir Keir Starmer said his Government's moves to speed up the rollout was leading the NHS out of the "dark ages" it had been stuck in under previous administrations.
Rachel Power, chief executive of the Patients Association said it was "very encouraging" to see how the app was "giving patients greater power over their healthcare".
However, she added: "While this digital progress is vital and the 20% increase in hospital participation is welcome, we must also ensure no one is left behind.
"Digital access remains a barrier for many, so we welcome the initiative providing support for online health services at 1,400 libraries across England.
"This kind of practical support needs to remain a key priority as services continue to modernise."