The NHS App should be the new “front door” to the health service, Sajid Javid has announced.
The Health Secretary outlined a vision to give patients more choice over their care and encouraging them to use the NHS app first instead of calling their GP.
People stuck on NHS waiting lists for more than 18 months may be offered treatment in a private hospital under a “right to choose”.
Mr Javid hopes people will use their smartphones to book appointments, communicate with their surgery, see test results and get advice to manage their health and wellbeing.
Speaking at the Royal College of Physicians he said: “I want that app to be the new front door to the NHS.
“You could say: the NHS App is for life, not just for Covid.
“Health needs to embrace the revolutions that have already come to banking and shopping – it needs to be as easy for doctors and patients to order a blood test as it is to order a burger – or a salad - on your phone.”
There is already a target of 75% for all adults in England to be using the app by March 2024 however many elderly patients feel more comfortable contacting their family doctor.
Mr Javid said his vision for the NHS centred on “prevention” and “personalisation” of care to help tackle an “unsustainable financial trajectory”.
Part of the plan will see more NHS funding diverted to private hospitals.
Patients will be told their waiting times upon referral and be able to compare it with other providers.
Mr Javid said: “Today I’m announcing a better offer to long-waiters. We will move to a model where long-waiters will be offered the ‘right to choose’, proactively contacted to discuss an offer of alternative provisions.
“That could be the trust next door. It could also be a trust that’s further away – and if it is, your transport and accommodation would be covered. It could be the independent sector.
“This is something the very best systems are already doing but I want it to become standard.
“I know it won’t be easy, and that we must begin by making this offer to the very longest waiters.
“For the trusts with the highest number of long waiters, and those who have been waiting more than two years, they will be contacted by the end of this month.
“In future I want to make this improved offer to all patients in the NHS working from the longest waiters down.”
Mr Javid said the NHS budget is now equivalent of the GDP of Greece and 12 times greater than it was when the health service was set up in 1948.
However Britain spends a smaller proportion of its GDP on healthcare than most of its European neighbours.
NHS funding has historically increased by around 4% on average since its foundation in 1948 to keep pace with a growing population and new technologies.
This dropped as low as 1% during the Tories’ austerity period in the last decade but recent Government funding settlements have it back to almost 4%.
However record waiting lists and staff shortages left it vulnerable as it entered the Covid-19 pandemic that has battered health systems around the world.
Dr Chaand Nagpaul, council chair of the British Medical Association, said: “While the Secretary of State articulated a vision for the future, ultimately this omitted the most fundamental element of any recovery strategy which is tackling the chronic workforce shortages in the NHS.”
“Much of the speech considered how to ensure the best use of resources in the NHS. This must involve investing in the NHS which is far more efficient than private providers.
“It should be totally clear by now that having to rely on the private sector to deliver NHS services too often represents very poor value for money for taxpayers.”
The new NHS reforms will also result in a near doubling in the number of people offered “personalised” healthcare, including the right to control the budgets spent on them for long-term conditions.
Personal budgets have been in place for years and can be used to pay for a wide range of services, such as therapy for depression, equipment for the home and help with personal care.
Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, said: “New ideas alone won’t be able to magic up new staff, and that remains our single biggest constraint.
“The sooner we get a fully costed and funded workforce strategy the better.”
Chris Hopson, chief executive of NHS Providers, said: “The secretary of state was right to pay tribute to the NHS workforce but the government still needs to set out the concrete action it will take to tackle the 110,000 staff vacancies and provide a sustainable workload for the workforce.
“These staffing gaps are putting significant pressure on quality of care and patient safety.”
