The NHS is launching a new campaign urging people to turn on notifications in the NHS App to stay on top of messages, appointments and reminders and receive them as soon as they’re sent.

The campaign comes as a new survey shows 1 in 4 (25%) people in Yorkshire and Humberside missed an NHS appointment because they forgot or arrived too late. In the North East, 1 in 5 (21%) people missed an NHS appointment for the same reasons.

Dr Hamish McLure, Regional Medical Director for NHS North East and Yorkshire (pictured), said: “Once you’ve set up the NHS App, you can view your health record and test results securely, book and manage appointments, manage your organ donation decision, view your NHS number and use NHS 111 online. You can also search conditions and treatments and find NHS services near you on the NHS App.

“You can quickly and easily request your repeat prescription. And if you turn on notifications, you’ll get messages and appointment reminders as soon as they’re sent.”

Dr Amanda Doyle, NHS England national director for primary care and community services, added: “People will often have genuine reasons for not being able to make an appointment or arriving too late, but it’s really important that they let us know if possible so we can offer the appointment to someone else.

“One of the easiest ways you can reduce the risk of missing an appointment is by tapping the NHS App to turn on notifications to get reminders, so you can cancel or rearrange them if they need to.”

People aged 13 or over and registered with an NHS GP surgery in England are eligible to use the NHS App. You can download it onto your phone or tablet from the App store on Apple devices, or the Google Play Store on Android devices. Discover what you can do in the NHS App today, visit www.nhs.uk/nhsapp/

As part of the new campaign, messaging on digital roadside screens close to GP practices, pharmacies and high streets will target frequent NHS users, encouraging them to ‘tap the NHS App’. Advertising will also appear on pharmacy bags, radio channels and social media.

Mona is in her 50s and lives in Bradford. She uses the NHS App to care for herself and her loved ones.

She said: “Being able to look at my records and keep track of things like appointments, referrals, test results and my medications just makes me feel more at ease and less anxious. I found it really simple, not high tech and the way it’s laid out it’s easy to see you’ve got your test results, and your GP records.”

The survey on NHS appointments was of 2,000 people in England aged 16 or over, carried out by Censuswide on behalf of NHS England.

Dr McLure added: “Download the app if you haven’t already, turn on notifications, and explore its features. Visit NHS England’s website to discover what you can do and tap the NHS App!”