NHS App to become default patient communication channel

The NHS App should be the main channel for all types of patient communication by the start of 2029, new national guidance has stated. 

The medium-term planning framework published by NHS England today places the app at centre of its plans for patient triage, appointment booking and all other forms of communication.

The document said the rules “set the scene” for “a crucial new principle that services should be delivered digitally as the default wherever possible”.

The guidance insists the service must “move to a unified access model, using AI-assisted triage, that can effectively guide patients to self-care or to the appropriate care setting, through a single user interface delivered via the NHS App but with an integrated telephony and in-person offering”.

Providers are also told to “fully adopt all existing NHS App capabilities as a priority” over the next three years. This includes ensuring patients can manage their medicines, view waiting times and make appointments via the NHS App.

Patient-initiated follow-ups (PIFU) pathways in which patients trigger their own appointments should also be integrated with the app no later than 2028-29.

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Source: HSJ, 24 October 2025