People in the Midlands are being encouraged to sign up to the NHS App so they can benefit from easy access to a range of NHS services.

Owned and run by the NHS, the NHS App is a simple and secure way to access a range of NHS services on a smartphone or tablet. It is available to all patients in the Midlands aged 13 and over who are registered with a GP practice.

The NHS App enables people to get health advice, find out what to do when they need help urgently using NHS 111 online, register as an organ donor and show others the details of their COVID-19 vaccine (or vaccines) when travelling abroad.

Patients can register and prove who they are so they can:

• order their repeat prescriptions and view, set or change their nominated pharmacy, where they want their prescriptions to be sent
• view their GP health record securely
• manage their first hospital or clinic appointment with a specialist, when they are referred by their GP, through the NHS e-Referral Service (e-RS)

In some GP practices, depending on which systems are in use, people can also message their GP surgery, doctor or health professional online, access health services on behalf of someone they care for and view useful links their doctor or health professional has shared with them.

Eddie Olla, Regional Director for Digital Transformation at NHS England: “I would absolutely encourage everyone with a smartphone or tablet to download the NHS App which provides easy access to crucial everyday NHS services like repeat prescriptions.

“The NHS App is a great example of how technology is being used to help patients take control of their healthcare in a convenient, secure and timely way. Transforming people’s experience of our health service, the app continues to grow and improve.  Millions of adults across England are now using the app every month to order repeat prescriptions, book GP appointments and view their GP records.”

For more information and to download the app, visit nhs.uk/app.

Throughout the pandemic use of the NHS App has rapidly increased and, in the last year alone (June 2021-May 2022), national NHS Digital figures show that:

• Over 16 million repeat prescriptions were ordered
• 1.3 million GP appointments were booked
• GP records were viewed more than 90 million times
• 277,000 organ donation decisions were registered
• More than 22 million NHS App sign-ups (following the addition of the NHS COVID Pass in May 2021).