NHS App upgrade to give patients more choice over treatment

Plans for an upgraded NHS App to allow more patients in England to book treatments and appointments will be part of a package of measures unveiled by the government on Monday.

The changes will allow patients who need non-emergency elective treatment to choose from a range of providers, including those in the private sector.

But the British Medical Association (BMA) said there was a risk the policy would "discriminate or alienate" patients who did not have access to digital technology.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting told the BBC on Sunday: "The NHS needs investment, but it also needs reform, otherwise we will not break this cycle of annual winter crises."

The plan will set out how the government intends to meet one of its key election pledges - for more than 9 in 10 patients to have their treatment or be signed off within 18 weeks of a referral by the end of this parliament.

Announcing the plan, he said the move would shift the NHS "into the digital age" and help cut waiting times "from 18 months to 18 weeks".

The app would "put patients in the driving seat and treat them on time", and they would be "put in control of their own healthcare", the health secretary said.

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Source: BBC News, 5 January 2025