NORTH West GP Dr Paula Cowan is urging people to ‘tap the NHS App’ to manage their health care after a survey showed more than 1 in 5 people in the region missed an NHS appointment because they forgot or were late.

The NHS has launched a new campaign urging people to turn on ‘push alerts’ from the NHS App so they get reminders about appointments and can rearrange any they can’t make, helping to free up millions of appointments for others.

1 in 3 people from the North West who took part in the national survey said they use the NHS App for health records or to order repeat prescriptions, but millions more could be benefitting from the App’s features, which also include getting reminders of upcoming appointments and viewing GP health records.

People can also use the NHS App to cancel GP appointments if they realise they cannot attend.

Using the app makes it quick and easy to order repeat prescriptions and would reduce the need for emergency prescriptions if more people used it.

More than 4.6 million people in the North West have registered for the NHS App and in December 2025, almost 1 million prescriptions were ordered on the App.

However, emergency prescriptions continued to be the top reason for calls to NHS 111, with a total of 14,744 requests, an increase of 3,000 compared to the previous December.

Dr Cowan, a GP and Regional Medical Director for Primary Care for NHS England in the North West, said:

“It’s great to see that so many people in the North West have registered for the NHS App, but we know many are not fully using it.

“Many patients do not realise how much you can organise through the NHS App, but it is one of the easiest and most convenient ways for patients to keep on top of their appointments, find appointments and order repeat prescriptions.

“We’d love to see more people using their App on their phone or tablet and getting the full benefits of all the great features. By switching on notifications in the settings, people can ‘tap the App’ to stay on top of messages, appointments and reminders and receive them as soon as they’re sent.

The NHS App helps people to get well, stay well and manage their health care 7 days a week 24 hours a day. If you are aged 13 or over and are registered with an NHS GP surgery in England or the Isle of Man, you are eligible to use the NHS App.

It allows you to:

1. Access NHS 111 online to access help and advice for symptoms or injury.
2. Order any repeat prescriptions that are due to ensure you don’t run out of vital medication.
3. Easily access GP health records and any test results.
4. Turn on notifications to get messages and appointment reminders as soon as they’re sent.
5. View your GP health record in record time and get your test results faster, before they arrive in the post and more.

Dr Cowan added: “The NHS App also has a useful feature that enables people to look up local NHS services including GP, dentist, pharmacy, urgent care services, mental health services, sexual health services and more.

“This frees up time for people to do more of what they enjoy and helps to ensure emergency services are there for those that need them most.”

You can download the NHS App or find the same services on the NHS website: www.nhs.uk/nhs-app/