The NHS has unveiled a significant update for millions of patients who attend referrals and appointments, bringing a major new feature to its widely-used app. The health service announced the development on social media on the morning of April 29.

In a post on X, the NHS said: "You can now manage your hospital appointments using the NHS App!" While NHS England wrote: "Hospital patients can now check their referrals and appointments through the NHS App. The NHS App is now linked up to every acute NHS trust in England, helping hospitals to save money by reducing the need for paper letters and text messages."

Patients at every NHS trust across England can now view their referrals and appointments directly in the NHS app. The update has been designed to make it simpler for millions of people to oversee their care in a single, convenient location, reports the Mirror.

Approximately two-thirds (64%) of all hospital appointments are currently accessible via the app. Many patients can also reschedule or cancel them, helping reduce the number of missed appointments.

The NHS App is now connected to every acute NHS trust in England, which the health service says is enabling hospitals to cut costs by reducing their reliance on paper letters and SMS text messages. The app is additionally freeing up staff time and resources, "increasing productivity and helping reduce waiting lists"

Approximately 41 million people are registered with the NHS App to access services. These include test results, prescriptions, patient records, patient messaging and appointment information from wherever they are. According to the NHS, more than 15 million users logged into the app during March alone, a rise of almost a third over the past 12 months. Prescription orders placed through the app also climbed by more than a third, which the health service says frees up valuable time for both patients and NHS staff.

Patients at all acute NHS trusts commissioned to deliver adult services can now view their referrals and appointments via the NHS App. The NHS reports there were 8.7 million views last month, a staggering 93% increase compared to the same period a year ago.

Those receiving treatment at around half of all trusts can now receive appointment reminders through NHS App push notifications, helping to reduce missed appointments. They are also able to access health documents, such as discharge summaries, directly within the app, cutting down on unnecessary paperwork.

New features planned for the NHS App over the coming year include the ability to request follow-up appointments and access specialist care through the NHS's new online hospital.

Jules Hunt, Director General of Technology, Digital and Data for the NHS, said: "Millions of patients across England can now easily access information about their hospital referrals and appointments through the NHS App, giving them more control and choice about their care and cutting out unnecessary paperwork.

"This is a great example of how we're transforming patients' experience of healthcare and harnessing digital technology as part of the Government's 10 Year Health Plan. The technology is helping to reduce missed appointments and freeing up vital NHS staff time so they can tackle waiting lists more effectively – and I'd encourage all NHS App users to make the most of its features."

Dr Zubir Ahmed, Health Innovation and Safety Minister, said: "The NHS App is already transforming the way people manage their care - and these figures show just how popular it is. With patients at every hospital now able to view their referrals and appointments, and millions more ordering prescriptions and receiving health messages digitally, we are cutting the admin burden while helping to drive down waiting lists.

"Fewer missed appointments means more patients getting the treatment they need, sooner. The NHS App is central to our ambition of shifting the NHS from analogue to digital and giving the patient more control – and we're only just starting there."

The NHS has confirmed that NHS Online, which is set to welcome its first patients next year, will "transform and modernise the delivery of healthcare by providing triage through the NHS App and video consultations with doctors."

It added: "The service will speed up specialist care by digitally connecting patients with expert clinicians across England, no matter where they are in the country, providing faster access to treatments. The NHS App has also recently been updated to make it simpler, more intuitive and easier to navigate – with key services like prescriptions, appointments and test results quicker to find from the new homepage."