WIREDGOV

The search is on for nurses & other health professionals across England to become the face of the NHS App on social media and in their communities, helping people to take back control of their own health.

England’s Chief Nursing Officer, Ruth May, has launched the drive to find 10 passionate NHS ambassadors including nurses, midwives, allied health professionals and doctors to promote the use of the new app, which marks a step change in how people are able to engage with the NHS and access their medical records.

The FREE app (available on Google Play and Apple app stores) will be key to transforming people’s experience of services as well as the way they access care making it more convenient and available at the touch of a button.

First launched in January 2019, it is now available to the vast majority of people across England and particularly useful for people who use NHS services regularly, including those with long-term health conditions and pregnant women.

Ambassadors for the app will be drawn from a range of different backgrounds, locations & clinical roles, and will play a critical role in promoting the NHS App to family, friends, colleagues, patients and the public.  They will encourage downloads of the app by using a range of different channels to talk about the benefits, including on social media channels like Facebook, Twitter & Instagram. (Staff apply here: digital.nhs.uk/AppAmbassador)

Those people who have downloaded the app are able to:

• check their symptoms using NHS 111 online and access health advice from the NHS website
• book & manage appointments at their general practice
• order their repeat prescriptions
• securely view their general practice medical record

People can also use the app to register as an organ donor, and choose whether the NHS uses their anonymised data to support research into new treatments and better planning of services.