Patients less likely to miss appointments thanks to app

PATIENTS in the North West are getting better access to services and are less likely to miss hospital appointments thanks to the successful rollout of the NHS App.

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Most acute hospitals in the region (88%) now offer services including booking and managing appointments, through the NHS App, helping them to free up appointment slots for follow up and new patients and save money through reduced appointment letters and text reminders.

Dr Michael Gregory, Regional Medical Director for NHS England in the North West, said: “By connecting hospital patient portals with the NHS App, more patients can now have a single view of their hospital referrals and outpatient appointments, alongside their health records and services such as ordering repeat prescriptions.

“This improves patient experience, giving them greater choice and flexibility over how and when they book appointments and the ability to reschedule them if needed, while also freeing up admin and clinical time so that patients can be seen and treated more quickly.”

The expansion of the NHS App in the North West has exceeded the national target of 85% of acute hospitals allowing patients to view appointment information on the app by the end of March 2025, and supports the shift of NHS services from analogue to digital.

Acute trusts will be required to make at least 70% of planned hospital appointments available to manage via the NHS App by March 2026 and hospitals across the region are continuing to add to the services that their patients can access on the App.

This builds on the GP practice services patients can already access on the NHS App, including booking appointments, ordering repeat prescriptions and accessing their GP health record.