Easy with the NHS App

This week we’re going to be talking a lot about the NHS App

If you visit us, you’ll see new displays promoting the app and our new online hub designed to help you get started, or make full use of the app. Just follow the link or scan the QR code with your phone.

If you’re talking to us about your repeat prescription or tests results, one of the team might give you a postcard about how the NHS App can save you time.

You also might receive a text message with ideas and suggestions of ways you might like to use the NHS App to manage your health.

Our new NHS App Hub

Our new NHS App hub is a one stop shop for everything you need to know.

Whether you’re an occasional user, have never downloaded the app, or haven’t looked at it since the days of COVID passes, then there is something for you.

We’ve got video guides, step-by-step instructions, and support to help you take your first step, try out some functions for the first time, or to trouble shoot any issues that might pop up along the way.

Why the big push?

The NHS App is now a key way to manage your health. It has improved a lot in recent years. It is easier to use and more helpful for patients.

One key benefit is that it brings your care together in one place. Information from GP practices and hospitals is easier to see and understand. This gives you a clearer view of your health. It also makes care feel more joined up and consistent.

It puts you in control. You can view information, manage services, and stay up to date. No need to wait for letters or phone calls.

The NHS is also using the app more to contact patients directly. You may now get messages, updates, and reminders in the NHS App instead of by text or letter. Turning on notifications helps you avoid missing important information about your care.

How does it help?

The NHS App is often the quickest and easiest way to manage everyday healthcare tasks.

Instead of waiting for us to open or spending time in a phone queue, you can do many things yourself in seconds, whenever it suits you.

Need to order a repeat prescription late in the evening? Check a test result during your lunch break? Look up your medication while you’re out and about? The app puts that information in your pocket, 24 hours a day.

And for many routine requests, using the app is not just easier for you – it also helps our team process things faster too.

Of course, if you need help, advice, or support, you can still contact us in the usual ways. The NHS App is there to make simple things quicker and easier whenever it can.

Here are some examples:

Repeat Prescriptions – easy with the NHS App 📱💊

You’ve just got in from work, it’s 6.30pm and you remember you meant to request your repeat prescription, and it’s now too late to call.

No problem. Grab your phone, open the app, and in just a few more taps, we’ll have got your request. Quick and easy.

It’s better for us too. Requests from the App go straight into our system, so they’re quicker to process. And because you’ve picked what you need from a list of approved medicines, it cuts down the chance of mistakes, making it the safest way to get your meds.

Accessing your records – easy with the NHS App 🗂️📱

You’re filling in a form for insurance, work, or a hospital appointment, and it asks for details about your medications, past operations, or when you were diagnosed with a condition.

No problem. Instead of trying to remember everything off the top of your head, you can open the NHS App and check your medical record in seconds.

From medications and test results to referral letters and vaccination history, it’s all there when you need it. Simple, accurate, and available whenever you need it.

What about Appointments?

A lot of work is happening in the NHS app to make it work the systems we already use. The next step for us is for our online appointment system to be integrated into the NHS App. We’ll let patients know when this is ready, and when you’ll be able to manage all parts of your health in one place. Until then, please continue to request appointments through the online system we introduced in March.

Using the NHS App helps us help you

Requests sent through the app, such as repeat prescriptions, fit notes and letter requests, go straight into our system. That means they are usually quicker and easier for us to process.

It also cuts down the chance of mistakes, because patients can choose information directly from approved records instead of needing to explain things over the phone.

When more patients use the app for simple everyday tasks, it also helps keep phone lines free for patients who need urgent help or more detailed support.

You can still call or contact us whenever you need to. But for many everyday requests, the NHS App is usually the fastest and easiest option.