NHS app help if you suffer from arthritis

PEOPLE suffering from back pain and arthritis will be able to bypass GPs to get the specialist help they need by tapping their smartphones.

- By David Williamson CHIEF POLITCAL COMMENTATOR

More patients will be able to self-refer using the NHS app to access vital services such as physiotherapy, pain management and orthopaedics.

The move is intended to cut waiting times for patients, free doctors to concentrate on complex cases, and also relieve pressure on hospitals.

Billed as part of a “radical overhaul in patient empowerment”, it aims to stop people being passed “from pillar to post”.

It will also become easier to access mental health talking therapies and podiatry and audiology services.