Londoners using ‘digital front door’ to access NHS healthcare
The NHS in London continues to drive forward the shift from analogue to digital healthcare services, with more patients accessing services through the NHS ‘digital front door’.
Latest NHS data* shows around 61% of the capital’s patients (over the age of 13) are now using the NHS App, with most London hospitals offering its core features to provide more personalised, convenient and accessible care.
Beyond the convenience of viewing referrals and appointments all in one place, the NHS App currently provides the potential for six million Londoners to use its accessible features, like information ahead of appointments and a single point of contact for their care.
In the 10 Year Health Plan, launched last month, the Government set out its goal to transform the NHS App into a world-leading tool for patient access, empowerment and care planning. By 2028, the app will be an accessible front door to the entire NHS, with investments being made across physical and mental health care delivery, as well supporting neighbourhood care.
Dame Caroline Clarke, Regional Director for the NHS in London, said: “We have a clear ambition in London to use digital technology to transform the way we deliver care. It’s therefore really encouraging to see how we are beginning to optimise tools like the NHS App to transform the accessibility of our health services and lay the foundations for delivery of the 10 Year Plan here in London.”
Other NHS App accessibility features include:
- Access to GP-held medical records from the comfort of their own home – with 88,000 Londoners using this each day
- Ability to use NHS 111 online through the app – with 40% of all patients requests now served without waiting on the phone
- Remote prescription management – with 16,000 medicines ordered everyday by patients across London saving them time and freeing up time in their GP surgery
- Remote hospital appointment management – with more than six million appointments ready to be managed by patients at London’s Hospitals
The NHS in London is also using digital tools to support safer, faster and more joined-up care, including supporting safe prescribing of medications, quicker hospital discharges and helping staff spend more time with patients.
Developing a single patient record is another key commitment in the Government’s 10 Year Health Plan, an ambition which will build on the work already done by the NHS in London to connect people’s health information.
The OneLondon partnership’s London Care Record is a secure way to share patient information with health and care professionals across the Capital, so they have the information they need at the point of care to inform their clinical decision-making.
The London Care Record is currently used well over two million times a month and in total it has been used over 70 million times.
Latest analysis** reveals the London Care Record delivers up to £4.6 million of time savings each month, with health and care staff across the capital also praising the system’s ability to improve the care they provide.
Luke Readman, Director of Digital Transformation for NHS England London, said: “The London Care Record continues to be an essential and ‘must have’ tool for our frontline staff. Colleagues report that the system makes a significant difference in supporting them to provide effective, safe and joined-up care more quickly.
“Thanks to successful systems such as the London Care Record, we are well placed to drive the Government’s ‘analogue to digital’ shift forward across the capital for the benefit of the communities we serve.”
For more information on the shift from analogue to digital healthcare, read the full 10 Year Health Plan here.
**London-Care-Record-Independent-Economic-Evaluation-July-2025.pdf