A new healthcare application tailored specifically for National Health Service (NHS) patients in the United Kingdom will provide safe, secure access to general practice (GP) records. The free application will be available to everyone in the U.K. in December.
The app, developed by NHS Digital and NHS England, will allow patients to make GP appointments, order repeat prescriptions, manage long-term conditions. It will also provide access to the NHS’s 111 helpline to get help for urgent medical inquiries.
“In the NHS’s 70th year, the new app will take the NHS to a world-leading position by empowering all our patients using digital technology to take charge of their own healthcare and contact the NHS in a way that suits them,” said Matthew Swindells, NHS England’s national director of operations.
The NHS is working to complete development of an NHS Apps Library website, currently in beta testing, which will provide information and resources that cover a diverse range of topics including management of chronic conditions and mental health. Additionally, the NHS is looking to install free wifi in GP hospitals.
“Technology has transformed everyday life when it comes to banking, travel and shopping,” said Jeremy Hunt, the secretary of state for health and social care. “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 a senior news writer for TriMed, Subrata covers cardiology, clinical innovation and healthcare business. She has a master’s degree in communication management and 12 years of experience in journalism and public relations.