An end of year update from NHS England has revealed that the NHS App has now reached more than 39 million users, with 62.3 million logins in November, and 67.8 million repeat prescriptions ordered through the app in the past 12 months.
Zubir Ahmed, health innovation minister, shared these latest stats, reflecting: “From prescription trackers to family features, we’ve upgraded the app this year to make it more helpful, and we are striving to deliver more improvements in the New Year as we build towards the launch of the NHS virtual hospital. Our 10 Year Health Plan is already shifting care from analogue to digital and building an NHS that is fit for the future and fit for us all.”
NHSE has also recorded further key stats on app usage for November, including 20.8 million views of GP health records, 6.6 million appointments managed across secondary care, and 6.3 million repeat prescriptions ordered. 313,000 people reportedly used the app on Christmas Day in 2024, with Jules Hunt, interim director general for technology, digital, and data, encouraging people to log in over the festive season to “take advantage of the range of features it now offers”.
These new features include an “Amazon-style” prescription tracker that gives patients information on whether their medication is ready to be collected, and a family feature supporting parents and carers in managing their loved ones’ health.
“The NHS App will also be a key part of the new NHS Online service which is due to launch in 2027 and will allow patients to book directly through the app to see specialists from around the country online, without leaving their home or having to wait longer for a face-to-face appointment,” NHSE shares.
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.
