The latest data from the government's expansion of the NHS App has revealed it has helped to stop 1.5 million hospital appointments being missed, saving 5.7 million staff hours since July 2024. The app allows users to manage appointments, view prescriptions, access their GP health record and receive notifications. The app reform is at the heart of the government’s plans to end hospital backlogs and improve care through the Plan for Change. The government has exceeded its first target under the plan, to increase the number of hospitals allowing patients to view appointment information on the app up to 85% by the end of March 2025 –reaching 87%, up from 68% in July 2024. The data also revealed:
To assist elderly and more vulnerable patients, 1,400 libraries across England are now offering support in how to access online health services including the NHS App.
Read more about the app drive and the latest data on the GOV.UK website here.
Healthwatch has shared the results of research which found that nearly one in four (23%) adults have noticed inaccuracies or missing details in their medical records. The health and social care champion commissioned BMG Research to conduct a nationally representative survey of 1,800 adults between 24 and 27 March 2025. They found a quarter (26%) of those who have noticed inaccuracies in their records said their personal details were wrong. Over one in seven (16%) of those who reported an inaccurate record said it related to inaccurate information about what medication they had taken. Just under one in ten (9%) said there is a record of a condition they do not have, and the same proportion (9%) say their records detail medical treatment they have not had. Healthwatch said it will share its findings with the government to help inform its plans to create a ‘single patient record’ through the NHS App.
Read more about the research on the Healthwatch website here.
A study by PatientView found that patient groups can now be considered core health actors in national healthcare settings. The Patients in Action study, which was published in April, was based on a survey of 2,546 patient groups worldwide, conducted between December 2024 to March 2025. The study shows that patient groups are entities with views respected by most (perhaps even all) healthcare stakeholders. They possess a depth of insight that can provide critical feedback on treatment tolerability and help design appropriate communications to target patient populations. These capabilities are vital to every aspect of pharma’s research and development, the study concluded, adding that "if the pharmaceutical industry is to continue to advance healthcare, it needs to do more than just consult patients and patient groups; it needs to build strategies and activities with them".
Read more about the Patients in Action via the PatientView website here.
Views are being sought on the final draft of a new national information leaflet for mothers at risk of early birth. The Scottish Perinatal Network produced the leaflet after feedback from learning events about babies born before 27 weeks in a unit without Neonatal Intensive Care (NICU) capacity. The events requested that a national information resource be developed, based on the "Advice for Mothers at Risk of Early Birth" leaflet used successfully in NHS Lothian. Now all perinatal colleagues are being invited to participate in a month-long consultation period. Feedback should be sent to the SPN team at, [javascript protected email address] by Friday 30 May 2025.
An editable version of the document can be downloaded here.
New research has found that one in ten patient safety incidents in hospitals are due to poor communication. The research was conducted by Jeremy Howick, Professor and Director of the Stoneygate Centre for Excellence in Empathic Healthcare, University of Leicester, and colleagues. Their analysis included 46 studies, published between 2013 and 2024, involving over 67,000 patients across Europe, North and South America, Asia and Australia. They discovered poor communication was the sole cause of patient-safety incidents in over one in ten cases and contributed to causing incidents in one in four cases. Professor Howick said: "Communication training must become a universal standard – not an optional extra – in safeguarding patient lives."
Read the full study via the The Conversation website here.
The UK Government must act to ensure people know the real risks of alcohol, says PIF member the World Cancer Research Fund. The charity says it is sparking a national conversation ahead of Cancer Prevention Action Week (23-29 June) to raise awareness that alcohol causes seven different cancers and accounts for around 17,000 cancer diagnoses every year. The World Cancer Research Fund has launched a petition and is calling on the Prime Minister to act and introduce a National Alcohol Strategy for England that tackles alcohol harm head-on through. The measures must address prevention, harm reduction, treatment, rehabilitation, and public education, the fund says.
Find out more about the awareness campaign and petition on the Change.org website here.
The current provision of Sexual and Reproductive Health is not working well for women, an inquiry has found. The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Sexual and Reproductive Health has published its latest report on reducing the reproductive inequalities experienced by women across England. The inquiry was launched to gain a deeper understanding of the inequalities and the barriers women face accessing essential services and to advocate for the solutions. It found "acute variations of women’s access to local reproductive health services due to the fragmented way the system is designed and delivered". The report calls on the government to take action in many areas, including additional support for the growing network of Women’s Health Hubs across England and implementing a sequential progression of health literacy in Relationships and Sex Education at school, to help address stigma and address misinformation.
Read the full report via The Patient Experience Library website here.
The number of people searching for hay fever advice on the NHS website more than doubled as the country basked in some spring sunshine. There were 19,562 visits to the hay fever page on nhs.uk between Monday to Wednesday (28-30 April), compared to 8,390 for the same period the previous week. Wednesday 30 April was the busiest day of the year so far with 7,356 visits – an average of one visit every 12 seconds – following a Met Office forecast of very high pollen levels. Hay fever symptoms include sneezing, coughing, a runny or blocked nose, as well as red, itchy, or watery eyes. Sufferers can also experience headaches, earache or lose their sense of smell. The NHS hay fever page details ways to ease symptoms including staying indoors, keeping windows shut, and coating nostrils with Vaseline to trap the pollen. There is also advice on different treatments available from pharmacists and when to seek help from a GP.
Find the hay fever advice page on the NHS website here.
NHS staff may be able to spend less time on admin with the introduction of an AI medical scribe service. Communications platform Accurx has selected Tandem Health as its exclusive partner to launch Accurx Scribe. Accurx is already used by 98% of GP practices in England and by staff in 70% of NHS Trusts – meaning more than 200,000 healthcare professionals are using the platform to message patients, share updates across services, manage outpatient pathways, and co-ordinate care. Accurx Scribe is Tandem’s AI medical scribe which is now available to users through the Accurx platform. It transcribes and structures consultations in real time, codes the clinical record, and generates referral letters, advice and guidance messages and patient summaries.
Read more about the launch of Accurx Scribe on the Tandem website here.