Technology

Posted on September 11, 2017 by staff

NHS-approved app surpasses 250k users

Technology

An NHS-approved mobile app which places patients’ personal medical records at their fingertips has surpassed 250,000 users.

Evergreen Life allows people to manage their health and wellness as they are able to download all their medical information, book GP appointments, order repeat prescriptions and view test results.

With the UK digital health market expected to be worth almost £3 billion by 2018, the NHS Digital Apps Library was launched in April 2017 to include a selection of digital tools and applications for people to better manage their healthcare.

Evergreen Life is the first app to satisfy the assessment criteria and has processed five million transactions to date.

Stephen Critchlow, founder and chairman, said: “It’s fantastic to have a quarter of a million users so quickly following our integration with NHS Digital.

“We allow people to own all their health information, giving them control and the ability to make informed decisions about their own healthcare.

“The app allows people to monitor their health and fitness; record allergies, medications and their medical history; and record medical documents and letters, for reference by both the user and their GP or relevant practitioner.

“One lady used her phone to brief a meeting of seven clinicians, none of whom had access to all of her up-to-date records.

“The ability to have all personal health record information accessible at all times is changing healthcare.”

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt will this week 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, with apps such as Evergreen Life central to that aim.

Evergreen Life is connected to the three major GP systems in England – Vision, EMIS Health and TPP systems – giving 99 per cent of people in England (55 million people) access to their medical records.

“Many of the GP practices we partner with have reported seeing the service increase efficiency and allow them to provide better patient care more cost effectively than ever before,” added Critchlow.

“Data-driven technology can help clinicians deliver smarter, more accurate treatment. Evergreen Life is revolutionising digital healthcare for GP practices and people.”

Hazel Jones, programme director of apps and wearables at NHS Digital, said: “Our ambition to provide greater digital choice for patients, citizens and clinicians has moved forward significantly with the introduction of key mobile apps and tools such as Evergreen.

“Tapping into digital tools created in the marketplace and applying the NHS Digital Assessment process means we can select the right tools to accelerate the delivery of a meaningful digital experience; all accessible via our NHS Apps Library.

“Our strategy is firmly fixed on enabling market innovation, and Evergreen Life is a perfect example of that.”