The inclusion of the Covid-19 vaccination status on the NHS App has helped add an additional two million new users to the service, latest figures have revealed.
Over six million NHS patients are now registered with the NHS App which, delivers personalised medical services, as well as providing Covid-19 vaccination status for travel purposes. The latter service was added on the 17 May, and since then more than two million new users have downloaded the app.
The impact of the boost to user numbers is potentially life-saving. Since 17 May, more than 51,000 people have also registered their organ donation preferences via the app – five times more than in April.
In the last month the app was used to order over 614,000 repeat prescriptions and book over 50,000 GP appointments. Automating these functions saves valuable time for patients and clinicians and has already slashed the rate of ‘did not attend’s by half for those who use the app.
Health secretary, Matt Hancock, said: “Technology undoubtedly plays a huge role in how we deliver healthcare now and in the future and it is great to see so many people downloading, using, and benefitting from the NHS App.
“It is vital we embrace the momentum we have built in using technology and innovation in the health and care sector over the last year as we look beyond the pandemic to improve treatment, care and the experiences of patients.”
The app is one of the first internationally compliant systems in the world that can demonstrate vaccination status. It’s been designed in line with World Health Organisation interim guidance. The government has also said it has been built with user privacy and security at its core to ensure personal information is kept safe.