Without a successful NHS App, the NHS itself could fail
4 min read
There are several front doors to the NHS. None are befitting of the 21st century.
The 8am scramble for a GP appointment, long waiting times at A&Es, late night 111 calls that end in a hospital visit anyway – all indicate a broken system that has resulted in public satisfaction with the NHS reaching an historic low. Patients are pushing back, opting for private care when they can afford it and Dr Google when they can’t.
This is the opposite of the preventative, personalised service that the NHS could and should be. The solution isn't more tinkering around the edges – it's total reinvention. That starts with a brand-new front door through a completely reimagined NHS App.
The government's recent announcement of NHS App upgrades – including the 'My Companion' AI tool and 'My Choices' provider comparison – show welcome ambition. But without political grip from the very top, there is a danger that the app simply becomes a digitised version of what exists already. Instead, it should be the tactical tail that wags the old, immovable NHS-shaped dog, forcing innovation into the system as patients change how they interact with it.
Imagine an ‘app store’ where MHRA-approved private providers offer treatments alongside the NHS, expanding patient choice and helping fund the system. Picture seeing available GP appointments anywhere and instantly booking one, forcing general practice to modernise their opening times to compete.
Or how about checking into A&E via a QR code, containing all the info of a 111 call and putting an end to grisly receptionists acting as gatekeepers and patient experience crushers? The app can also communicate political priorities, showing users how wait times are falling – or rising – driving up standards and celebrating progress.
It is also the tool in the shift towards prevention. Every interaction will generate data and new sources can connect to it. Boots know more about a customer’s likely health conditions than their GP based on what they purchase. This should be plugged into a central resource, alongside all other viable data sources. Screenings could be proactively served and weight-loss drugs recommended. The app should be the hub for AI-driven health alerts, self-management tools, and chronic condition support, helping patients take control and helping policymakers target interventions.
The benefits are huge: healthier lives, smarter policymaking, and billions saved by preventing illness before it hits.
Previous governments have talked up the NHS App but lacked the political will to deliver. So let’s treat this like the critical infrastructure project it is and make it a national priority.
The Prime Minister should champion the NHS App as a flagship reform, with the Health Secretary driving delivery and a dedicated team led by a proven digital leader. This team must have real authority: multi-year funding, power to enforce data standards and sharing, and weekly PM-led delivery meetings to overcome bureaucracy. It should always be in beta, continually updated as improvements are made.
The NHS App is the single greatest opportunity for the government to demonstrate it can deliver radical, tangible improvements to people’s lives and rebuild trust in the process. It is ‘disruptive delivery’ at work: delivery that voters actually ‘feel’ and is mission-critical if mainstream politics is to beat back the rising tides of populism.
The app is already on 40m phones. By the end of this parliament, it has the potential to be the go-to health companion for every adult in the country, fundamentally changing how they interact with the NHS – and their appraisal of government’s ability to fix it.
The technology exists and public demand is clear. What’s needed now is the political will to make it a priority in this parliament. After all, if there is no successful NHS App, we may face a future with no NHS at all.
Ryan Wain is executive director at the Tony Blair Institute
