Welcome to our guide to promoting the NHS App 

The aim of this section is to help practices promote and understand the NHS App. Useful resources including the slide deck referenced below can be found here.

NHS App is available on Google Play or App store. For more information go to www.nhs.uk/nhsapp or click here

It’s worth knowing that the NHS App now allows patients to:

Get advice about coronavirus

Order repeat prescriptions
Book appointments
Check your symptoms and self care
View your medical record
Consult electronically with the practice
Access health services on behalf of someone you care for
STEP 1

Discuss the App

  • Discuss the App as a team and explain its functionality.
  • Describe how it should alleviate practice phone pressures.
STEP 2

Play with the App

  • All staff to download the App and use it – helps people to be able to confidently promote it.
  • Play with all aspects of the App. This is also a chance to see eConsult from the patient persepective and should enable staff to promote eConsults too.This video shows an eConsult happening from within the NHS App:
STEP 3

Set up some Appointments

  • Allocate some appointments which are patient facing – thereby allowing patients to book them from the App, see Section 2b of the Total Triage guide.
  • Our total triage guide has a suggestion for how to do this in a total triage system but in other systems the practice will need to be guided by contractual requirements.
STEP 4

Sort out Repeat Medicine system

  • Review the practice process for repeat medicines against slide 7 in the slide deck.
  • As part of this ensure prescribing clinicians are familiar with medicines workflow and EPS, plus know how to sync PDS if it is red. Make sure all is working.
STEP 5

Understand Proxies

  • Be aware that people often use proxies to request repeat medicines.
  • Be familiar with how to set that up in a practice.
STEP 6

Think about Access to Medical notes

  • Have a system for authorizing patients access to their medical records.
  • Patients need a code to access this added functionality.
STEP 7

Promote the App

When the above areas are in place then actively promote the App.
  • Most practices have methods of promoting their online offer already so this is just a build on that – for example:
    • Practice website (which should be updated to showcase the App), but also
    • AccuRx to all eligible patients
    • Word of mouth from reception and clinicians
    • Promotion on the right side of green prescriptions or via Pharmacy.
  • The Digital accelerator team also suggest a message out to all people over the age of 18 on repeat medicines as shifting them to the App has great benefits  – see the slide deck page 10.  That describes how to run the search and also how to use iplato to message those eligible.
STEP 8

Reflect on the Data

  • Use the data. NHS analytics provides usage data – your QI coach can help you sign up for this. The website is here
  • You can monitor registrations onto the App, appointments booked, appointments cancelled, medicines requested and records accessed. All of this can be used to monitor your various promotion ideas.

See below for some useful videos in understanding more about the NHS App