The NHS app is going to be used more and more by the NHS as a way of communicating with patients. As such it is also going to be increasing useful for patients to access their health information and feel more in control of their health.
Though the app, you can:
- Access your medical records (you will be able to see a summary from the moment you sign up, including immunisation history, medication, allergies. You are normally able to see letters and consultations from the date you sign up. You can request to see your historical record, but this will take time because we will have to check for information about other people and information that may be harmful)
- Request repeat medication
- Complete an econsult
- Manage appointments.
- Increasingly you will also see hospital correspondence, hospital appointments and so on.
- And much more
Using the NHS App we can also send notifications and reminders, such as when you are due blood tests or reviews (just enable notifications). This also saves the NHS money compared to texts and post, that can be used for care in other ways.
The NHS has put together some helpful introductory videos. For those still unsure, the practice is going to restart drop-in hands-on clinics with our reception managers (contact the practice for details, and remember to bring your phone or tablet to the appointment)
NHS App How to guides… (BSL version)
- How to download the NHS App
- NHS App Homescreen Guide
- How to request a repeat prescription
- Turning on notifications and see messages
- Seeing test results
- How to make an administrative request (such as fit notes, vaccine requests)
- How to manage health information for other people (sometimes called Proxy access / linked accounts)
Important information
The NHS App is not for everyone. We do want to encourage its use for those who can, because it allows our reception team more time to spend with patients with more complex problems. But we recognise that some people don’t have access to smart phones or find using the technology less easy to use, so this will never be the only way that we communicate with our patients.
In a small minority of our patients, we may suggest that using the NHSApp is not be helpful for them, where it could cause anxiety or even increased risk of harm. We may also restrict access to information in the app, in accordance with data protection law, if it contains information about someone else or could cause distress – an example of this would be a notification about a serious diagnosis (we will normally restrict access until we are certain a patient has been informed, rather than risk reading online).
That said, occasionally information that is upsetting, such as a serious diagnosis, or abnormal results, will be shown on the NHSApp before the hospital or we have contacted you. By using the NHSApp you are acknowledging and accepting this risk.
Some of the information, such as test results, needs to be interpreted by a health professional to be understood. Unfortunately, whilst something may look abnormal, it may not actually be significant and we may not be able to answer queries urgently.