There are fears that less tech-savvy patients will be excluded by the pressure on over-40s to carry out health checks at home rather than visiting a GP to free up appointments
Middle-aged patients will be encouraged to carry out their own DIY health checks via the NHS app rather than visiting a GP.
Health leaders want people over 40 to log in to check their risk for conditions like heart disease and diabetes. It is part of a drive to make the digital tool ‘the front door of the NHS’ for routine care, including booking appointments and checking test results.
It is also hoped that the initiative will free up GPs, saving appointments for those who need them most. But there are fears that it could ‘exclude’ or discourage less tech-savvy patients.
Last night it was reported that people may soon even be able to call in sick using an NHS algorithm.
The first point of contact for the sick will be an online triage system, via an app or website that will be trialled soon, The Times reported.
Last night it was reported that people may soon even be able to call in sick using an NHS algorithm
Middle-aged patients will be encouraged to carry out their own DIY health checks via the NHS app (pictured) instead of visiting a GP
Joe Harrison, national director of the app at NHS England (pictured), said: ‘The app will be the front door of the NHS. It won’t go away, it will only grow
Dennis Reed, director of campaign group Silver Voices (pictured), said it should not come at the expense of older patients: ‘If this is the front door of the NHS, the back door should be just as available to those who aren’t. as proficient or don’t have smartphones’
It would send people with complex illnesses to a doctor, but others could be turned off for a few days by self-reporting symptoms of, say, the flu.
It is seen as one of many options the government is looking at. The digital assessments are expected to arrive later this year and will replace the standard invitation to visit the GP, which is currently sent every five years to people aged 40 to 74.
In addition to lifestyle questions, patients are asked about height, weight, blood pressure and cholesterol measurements. Results of their risk scores for diseases such as kidney disease and stroke are then provided via the app.
The number of users of the NHS app has more than doubled in the past twelve months to over 34 million, with the over-65s being the largest user group. Around 85 per cent of GP practices are connected to the app, as are 116 of 125 acute hospital trusts.
Joe Harrison, national director of the app at NHS England, said: ‘There is genuine interest from the public in their medical records, in test results and how they manage their health.
‘The app will be the front door of the NHS. It won’t go away, it will only grow.’
Dennis Reed, director of campaign group Silver Voices, said it should not come at the expense of older patients: ‘If this is the front door to the NHS, the back door should be equally available to those who are not as adept or don’t have smartphones.’