An app has been launched by the government to provide a fast and secure way for people to demonstrate their Covid pass is valid and give staff confidence in the legitimacy of what is being presented to them.
The NHS Covid Pass Verifier app is designed to support businesses checking for genuine Covid Passes with trials of the app forming part of the government’s Events Research Programme.
Via the app, businesses can conduct a visual of an individual’s NHS Covid Pass and incudes a security features such as an animated shimmer that cannot be screen grabbed. The scan feature can also be used on the 2D barcode of a NHS Covid Pass to verify vaccination status or offer proof of a negative test.
Matthew Gould, chief executive of NHSX, said: “We built the NHS Covid Pass in weeks, delivered it on time, and are really pleased with its progress. With 6m more users on the NHS app, more on the way, and the prospect of putting the Covid Pass into other patient apps, we are creating a powerful platform for the NHS to do so much more for our citizens online.
“We will see a further hike in demand for the NHS Covid Pass as businesses follow government guidance and consider using it at high risk venues and events.”
There are now 10.4million people who have downloaded the NHS app – and over six millions of those users, came on board following the introduction of the Covid vaccination status service, enabling them to show proof of vaccination.
Simon Bolton, interim chief executive at NHS Digital, added: “The NHS app is currently the UK’s more popular app with over 2.5million new users last month alone. Thousands of people are using the app every day to access their NHS Covid Pass and we’ve seen a big increase in the use of other features in the app, including registering organ donation preferences.”
The app is not only supporting the relaxation of Covid restrictions but is also promoting a more digital-focused future for health services. During May and June, over 1.2million prescriptions were requested via the app, as well as over 100,000 GP appointments made, saving patients and clinicians time. Additionally, over 90,500 people have also registered their organ donation preference on the app in the same time scale.