Technology

Posted on September 11, 2017 by staff

Jeremy Hunt to make ‘digital NHS by 2018’ pledge

Technology

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt will pledge to give patients access to their medical records and the ability to book an appointment with a GP using app by the end of 2018.

He will announce the national rollout of an integrated app at an NHS conference in Manchester on Tuesday also capable of ordering repeat prescriptions and accessing non-emergency medical helpline NHS 111.

A pilot scheme already allows patients in south-east London to do all this.

He is expected to say at the Health and Care Innovation Expo: “People should be able to access their own medical records 24/7, show their full medical history to anyone they choose and book basic services like GP appointments or repeat prescriptions online.

“I do not underestimate the challenge of getting there – but if we do it will be the best possible 70th birthday present from the NHS to its patients.”

He will also refer to the next 10 years as “the decade of patient power”.

Imelda Redmond, national director of Healthwatch England, said: “It is a huge step forward in ensuring all of us get the sort of integrated service we have come to expect in many other areas of life.”