Patient initiated follow up (PIFU) appointments have been integrated into the NHS App at The Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust, said to promote convenience for patients on PIFU pathways in requesting, confirming, rebooking, or cancelling appointments.
Integration with the NHS App follows a successful trial which took place on a single PIFU pathway earlier in December, with integration now planned for all PIFU pathways. “It’s estimated around 8,000 PIFU appointment pathways could benefit from the integration by the end of 2026,” the trust states.
James Rawlinson, director of health informatics at The Rotherham, celebrated the news as “a major national, digital milestone”. James added: “The national goal for the NHS app is for it to be the NHS’s ‘digital front door’ which can make “managing healthcare easy as online banking” for patients. We hope our efforts to integrate PIFU appointments into the NHS app means that, for these patients, this is the case.”
Other information on outpatient and surgical appointments, hospital letters, and pre-assessments, are also now supported through the NHS App.
The trust shared details of the new integration via LinkedIn.
Wider trend: The NHS App
With the publication of the 10 Year Health Plan, the government outlined the role of the NHS App in its health system of the future, highlighting AI-enabled features, links with wearable tech, and access to the Single Patient Record. The NHS App will become a “doctor in their pockets” for patients as a tool for access, empowerment, and care planning, creating a “full front door to the entire NHS”. It will offer remote or face-to-face appointment booking and signposting to the most appropriate service with the AI-enabled My NHS GP, and allow patients to select preferred providers through My Choices. Functionality will also be available for patients to self-refer with My Specialist, and to connect with clinicians via remote consultations with My Consult.
At NHS England’s July board meeting, the Digital, Data and Technology Committee offered an update on the development of the NHS App, stating the importance of agreeing where strategic decision-making sits to ensure alignment across the system. The committee also discussed the prioritisation of features, “in particular delivery of improvements patients want most from a digital service, but are technically difficult due to legacy systems across the NHS”.
Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust shared details of ongoing work on the integration of the MyMFT portal with the NHS App, with the trust sharing that Epic interfacing will be completed in March 2026. Central London Community Healthcare NHS Trust has also launched digital letters and questionnaires through the NHS App. The service went live on 2 December 2025 and will roll out over the next 12 months for patients using Central London Community Healthcare services in north and south west London. Patients will receive appointment letters, clinic information and pre-appointment questionnaires directly via the NHS App, with the trust noting if a patient does not open the digital letter within 48 hours, an automatic printed copy will be sent.
