Local libraries supporting more people to use the NHS app

The scheme is being run with the National Health Literacy Partnership and will officially launch in October. NHS England will contact public libraries and NHS libraries in the coming weeks to provide toolkits and information for their staff and visitors to the libraries.

Libraries already play a vital role in making online services more accessible and according to a recent survey by Ipsos, librarians are the third most trusted profession across the country.

By providing librarians with the right tools and support, they will be able to play a key part in helping people to use the NHS App and NHS.UK to better understand and manage their health.

How libraries help

"Public libraries are at the heart of our communities and offer a significant opportunity to reach those who face barriers when it comes to accessing their health information online.

“The NHS App has more than 34 million registered users and we want to ensure no-one is excluded from using this service.

"My first profession was a librarian, and it was amazing training for the role I do today. Librarians have always been at the forefront of providing services to communities and getting information to people at the right time."

John Quinn, Chief Information Officer at NHS England, and a former librarian

More support

The NHS has been working with libraries and has trained many health literacy trainers. They found that people are happy to learn how to use NHS.uk from library staff. This new rollout will help even more people access their health information online.

Marta, an ambassador for the NHS app, said: "Sometimes people presume all those over a certain age can’t use technology, but many of the patients I work with already use apps and appreciate how easy the NHS app makes it to order their repeat prescriptions online and help them keep track of their healthcare."

Use of the app

Some libraries are already helping people use the NHS App. Many find it easy to see their test results and records online. Interestingly, pensioners are the most active users, with over 5 million registered and nearly half using it in a three-month period this year.

In comparison, about one in four users are in their 20s, and one in three are in their 30s. From March to May 2024, 12 million people used the NHS App, including 2.3 million aged 66 and over. Among them, 309,474 were in their 80s and 34,451 were 90 and over.

During these three months, 11.6 million repeat prescriptions were ordered via the app, with 3.1 million by pensioners. Since its launch in December 2018, over 35 million people have registered for the NHS App. In Yorkshire and the North East, more than 4 million people have downloaded it.