A revised NHS app will form a key part of the government’s Elective Reform Plan to address the NHS waiting times crisis. The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said that the upgraded NHS App will enable patients to choose providers, book appointments in more settings and receive test results all in one place.
NHS chief executive Amanda Pritchard said: “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.
“Using technology to revolutionise access to NHS care, alongside offering more availability of tests, checks and scans closer to people’s homes, will help us to tackle waiting times and put patients in the driving seat of elective care.”
The Elective Reform Plan proposes to cut waiting times and reduce waiting times to 18 weeks and offer greater choice and control for patients. As part of its Plan for Change, the new NHS App is among a raft of proposals which the government aims to use to offer patients greater power over how and when they receive elective treatment.
Missed appointments add significant delay to patients receiving care, increasing pressures on elective services and potentially other areas of the health service. According to the DHSC, the proportion of missing appointments has been shown to fall by up to 80% when patients are sent appointment reminders.
In an attempt to reduce the proportion of missed appointments, the government said that the upgrades to the NHS App will enable patients requiring non-emergency elective treatment to view and manage appointments at a time and place that is convenient to them. It added that the app will also enable patients to choose from a wide range of providers, including in the independent sector, and book diagnostic tests through the NHS App at convenient locations, such as a Community Diagnostic Centres (CDCs) in a local shopping centre.
The DHSC said that the health service is working on a pilot AI system that identifies patients more likely to miss appointments and provide support, such as free transport, to those most in need.
The NHS App is also being positioned as a way to speed up the time for processing test results. Currently, most patients receive test results through a phone call from a clinician, or a letter with either the result or instructions to book an appointment to discuss them further. This can be a significant time after the diagnostics took place.
To address this inefficiency, the NHS App will offer a single place where patients can receive test results and book either a follow-up virtual consultation or a surgery visit.
Health and Social Care secretary Wes Streeting said: “This government’s reform agenda will take the NHS from a one-size-fits-all, top-down, ‘like-it-or-lump-it’ service, to a modern service that puts patients in the driving seat and treats them on time – delivering on our Plan for Change to drive a decade of national renewal.
“By bringing our analogue NHS into the digital age, we will cut waiting times from 18 months to 18 weeks and give working class patients the same choice, control and convenience as the wealthy receive.”
