NHS App exceeds 22 million user mark

The NHS App has surpassed the 22 million user mark, driven by the uptake of the Covid-19 vaccination pass, available through the tool.

Of the total number of users, the app saw more than 18 million registrations since the introduction of the NHS Covid Pass in May 2021. The pass is used for sharing Covid-19 vaccination records or test results when travelling abroad or for certain events and venues domestically.

“The NHS App has played a central role in the fight against Covid-19, helping to enable international travel and access to major events. It has also changed the way millions of adults in England access healthcare services in the three years since its launch,” said Simon Bolton, interim chief executive at NHS Digital, which manages the app.

The chief executive of NHSX, Matthew Gould, said the NHS Covid Pass was developed by the digital delivery unit of the health service “at extraordinary speed” and had been constantly updated to meet the changing needs of the country through the pandemic. “It is now an important tool in keeping people safe in the face of the Omicron variant,” he noted.

The latest milestone of the NHS App follows an agreement, announced in November 2021, to enable European member states to digitally verify the NHS Covid Pass. The initiative is aimed at simplifying access by UK citizens to venues such as museums, restaurants and other locations requiring proof of vaccination against Covid-19 in countries across the European Union.

Since the NHS App was launched in December 2018, a total of 1.1 million GP appointments have been booked through the tool, of which 641,000 were booked in the past six months.

In addition, some 10.4 million repeat prescriptions have been ordered through the NHS App since it debuted, with 6.2 million of those processed by the app in the past six months.

Moreover, a total of 316,000 people have used the NHS App to manage their organ donation decision. According to NHS Digital, the past six months have seen more than 170,000 registrations recorded through the app. This compares with 1.5 million registrations by September 2021.

According to NHS Digital, the tool is the most downloaded free iPhone app in the UK.