Better patient experience thanks to NHS App expansion in Cheshire and Merseyside
Wednesday, 21 May 2025
Patients across Cheshire and Merseyside are benefiting from improved access to NHS services and fewer missed hospital appointments, thanks to the successful expansion of the NHS App across the region.
Most acute hospitals in Cheshire and Merseyside now enable patients to book and manage appointments digitally, through the NHS App, helping them to free up appointment slots for follow up and new patients and save money through reduced appointment letters and text reminders.
The expansion of the NHS App in the North West has exceeded the national target of 85% of acute hospitals allowing patients to view appointment information on the app by the end of March 2025, and supports the shift of NHS services from analogue to digital.
Acute trusts will be required to make at least 70% of planned hospital appointments available to manage via the NHS App by March 2026 and hospitals across Cheshire and Merseyside are continuing to add to the services that their patients can access on the App.
This builds on the GP practice services patients can already access on the NHS App, including booking appointments, ordering repeat prescriptions and accessing their GP health record.
Almost four million patients aged 13+ in the North West have already registered for the NHS App (as of March 2025), with around seven million patient log-ins each month and 53,000 appointments being managed on the App monthly.
The key benefits include:
- Improved patient experience – single digital 'front door' to the NHS
- Patients have more choice and control as their appointments are made available to view and manage via the NHS App and they are sent reminders and notifications about these, helping prevent appointments from being missed.
- Reduction in the number of letters / SMS sent to patients as printing of paper letters is avoided when information is available to patients digitally.
- Reduction in patient queries to hospital trusts and GP practices, as patients can view and manage their appointments via the NHS App.
At neuroscience specialist hospital The Walton Centre in Liverpool, 89% of patients have opted to be contacted via mobile and digital channels, freeing up call lines for the 11% of patients who prefer to be contacted by phone.
As a result of more patients booking appointments via the App and fewer missed appointments – the percentage of patients not turning up for appointments has fallen from 11% to 6% - the Walton Centre has also been able to free up capacity for 90 patients in follow up appointments and 15 new patients per week, impacting on waiting lists and benefiting 479 new patients seen over a six month period.
Linda, 69, was referred to the Walton Centre for increasing neck pain and has been managing appointments via text.
She said:
“The reminders and appointment offers that come through on text are so useful. I doubt I’d forget, but having them get in touch regularly via text to see if anything has change or I need to rearrange definitely takes the pressure off.”
Linda, who also accesses her patient records through the NHS App, added:
“The app is incredibly useful. When I want to check to see if blood or scan results have come through, or even remember what results were when I’m speaking to a clinician, the NHS App is reassuring.”
Head of Transformation and Corporate Operations at The Walton Centre, Sam Holman, said:
“Introducing text notifications for patients has been a game-changer. Since implementing the system which allows patients to manage their appointments this way, we’ve seen a sharp increase in the rate of hospital appointments attended.
“We hope with further integration with other elements such as the NHS App, this patient-led care can increase and enhance their NHS experience.”
Dr Fiona Lemmens, Deputy Medical Director for NHS Cheshire and Merseyside said:
“The expansion of the NHS App is transforming how patients across Cheshire and Merseyside interact with health services.
“By giving people easier access to their appointments, test results, and prescriptions, we’re empowering them to take greater control of their care. This not only improves the patient experience but also helps our hospitals and GP practices operate more efficiently by reducing missed appointments and unnecessary admin.”