Call for NHS App to reach its potential, following Lord Darzi critique

Healthcare leaders have urged NHS England to unleash the full potential of the NHS App, following critique from Lord Ara Darzi.

Lord Darzi’s independent investigation into the state of the NHS in England, published on 12 September 2024, said that the app is “not delivering a ‘digital-first’ experience similar to that found in many aspects of daily life, although there is huge potential”.

Despite the Covid-19 pandemic leading to a rapid increase in registrations and nearly 80% of adults are now registered, Lord Darzi highlights that less than 20% of patients use the app monthly.

He adds that although there has been “growth in ordering repeat prescriptions and managing hospital appointments”, only 1% of GP appointments are managed via the app.

“With the huge success in registrations, an important opportunity is being missed to improve both efficiency and patient experience,” Lord Darzi writes.

Responding to Lord Darzi’s comments, Dr Layla McCay, director of policy at NHS Confederation, said: “The task is to continuously develop the app so that patients can really have their health in their own hands, which will have significant patient and efficiency benefits.

“This includes possible integration with other smartphone apps and wearable technology, improving and supporting mental wellbeing with access to digital talking therapies, strengthening two-way communication between patients and the NHS.”

Dr McCay emphasised the importance of communicating the benefits of the app across all communities to increase its “usability and success”, adding that it could be used to help children access services and “get the care and support they need – particularly dental and mental health care”.

Dr Mohammad Al-Ubaydli, chief executive at Patients Know Best, told Digital Health News that the NHS App is a “global exemplar”, because of its 36 million registered users and 69% year-on-year increase in usage.

“It has smartly created a procurement framework, adding the innovation of private enterprise to the scale of government.

“Of course everything has room for improvement, but the main barrier to its potential lies in transformation not technology.

He added that the reason that only 1% of GP appointments are managed via the app is because of “workforce misallocation and insufficient appointment availability,” and that to enhance the NHS App’s value, clinical professionals “must be comfortable releasing more data, more promptly”.

“I urge people to interpret Darzi’s report as a rallying cry to build on the impressive successes that have been achieved with a limited budget,” Dr Al-Ubaydli said.

Lloyd Price, partner at Nelson Advisors and health tech founder, said that the NHS App needs a “killer feature” to increase its usage and “unlock further organic and viral growth”.

He added that the main functions of the NHS App to book GP appointments and order repeat prescriptions can be done through other apps such as Patient Access from EMIS, MyGP from iPlato and AirMid from TPP.

Price called for the app to include “a unique and proprietary function not available on other platforms, for example waiting list validation management for outpatient appointments or average waiting times at my local A&E department”.

Joe Harrison, chief executive of Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, who oversaw development of the NHS App, told Digital Health News that he is pleased that Lord Darzi has highlighted its potential.

“Over the last 18 months usage has increased remarkably with 80% of the adult population having downloaded it, and an incredible 40 million logins during July alone.

“Our citizens are clearly embracing the growing functionality and usefulness of the NHS App to engage digitally with services.

“I have no doubt that these numbers will continue to increase and further relieve some of the burden on NHS staff as we develop the NHS App to meet both the health and illness needs of our population,” Harrison said.

An NHS England spokesperson said: “The NHS is continuing to improve the app by adding new features and rolling out available services to as many people as possible, with the number of appointments managed through the app more than doubling in the last year.

“As Lord Darzi points out, there is more to do, and the NHS is committed to supporting all practices and trusts to embed new digital tools that support easier access for patients and the allocation of appointments to best meet their needs, and to fully integrating these tools into the NHS App.”