‘Confusing’ NHS App functions to be standardised

NHS England is planning to dismantle the patient engagement portal supplier market in a bid to save £11m and directly integrate appointment management into the NHS App, HSJ can reveal.

This month, NHSE has told suppliers of PEPs – who have been the intermediary between hospital IT systems and patients for appointment booking for years – that within the next three years they would no longer be required to provide core appointment features through the NHS App.

Instead, trusts will move towards direct integration into the NHS App through their electronic patient record, known as Wayfinder direct integration.

It comes as the government pushes for the NHS App – which in December had more than 13 million log-ins – to be the single front door for patients.

The five core features NHSE wants to bring in-house are: viewing appointment details, completing pre-appointment questionnaires, accessing documents, managing or cancelling appointments, and receiving notifications.

Hospital patient administration systems (PAS) and EPRs – which hold appointment booking and scheduling data – will share that data with the NHS App.

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Source: HSJ, 25 February 2026