NHS Digital and NHS England together have devised a free NHS app to book GP appointments in a swifter and user-friendly way. This novel NHS app will be launched in December 2018, allowing patients to access their health records in a safe and secure manner. It will also be possible to manage long-term conditions, order repeat prescriptions and access 111 online in case of urgent medical queries. The lives of patients will become easier by avoiding issues such as repetitively calling their doctors. Patients can state their preferences regarding organ donation as well as data sharing.

This NHS app will be available on Google Play and the App Store. After downloading the app, patients can sign up for an NHS account.

Jeremy Hunt, the Secretary of Health and Social Care said, “Technology has transformed everyday life when it comes to banking, travel and shopping. Health matters much more to all of us, and the prize of that same digital revolution in healthcare isn’t just convenience but lives improved, extended and saved; As the NHS turns 70 and we draw up a long-term plan for the NHS on the back of our £394 million a week funding boost, it’s time to catch up and unleash the power of technology to transform everyday life for patients.”

Matthew Swindells, the national director of operations and information from NHS said, “The new app will put the NHS into the pocket of everyone in England but it is just one step on the journey. We are also developing an NHS Apps Library and putting free NHS wifi in GP surgeries and hospitals.”