Lots of discussions on the NHS app as the digital front door that’ll work for everyone to do everything aka a super app. It’s a very technology as a magic solution which is likely to fail. Why? Well there’s a reason the App Store with millions of apps exists. Simply look at how many email apps exist. Because of personal preferences! The NHS has finite resources & so needs to be able to prioritise where to deploy resources - more languages or more functionality? Some of these questions will disappear or become cheaper with AI. A super app can work. Look at China! But the extent of a super app type NHS app success depends on the culture, personal preferences & variation in use needs. As mentioned much of this could change with AI but it still requires two things the NHS hasn’t focused on sufficiently - design & personalisation. The design needs to work for people & continually be improved. Many people will need support to personalise the app so it works for them. Alongside this is where the really hard work needs focus ie the non-tech, like trust, awareness, confidence & ability that enables tech to be used.
Really proud of the work our The Shuri Network fellows did on increasing access to the NHS App for people whose first language is not English. Looking forward to discussing this with you in October! Polly Bishop Dhara Thacker Sonsue Makpu-Felix Bisi Soledolu Eddie Olla Details here https://youtube.com/@shurisecohort4?feature=shared
Yep. Worry about the NHS centrally trying to build the everything app. Very much like they're trying to build a blackberry in an ios and Android age.
I think it should be the front door but wth apps that "plug-in" to it. These apps need to have some kind of approvals, i.e. they must be accessible and effective. Ideally when it comes to apps to aid "wellness" or "recovery" the patient should be able to choose which they use rather than the NHS org. At the moment which apps are available free on the NHS variers depending on commissioning agreements.
Very good points. Each new feature adds a new layer of complexity and problems. It also creates a single point of failure. Which if useful enough means People will depend ever more on for their health. So the irony is the better you make it the more risky it becomes!
Non tech stuff paramount. You’re spot on as ever Pritesh Mistry ! And… personaly, I fundamentally believe in the utility of the NHS App - always have done. But this next phase could deliver so much more. Because if those fundamental pieces are put in place to make this sing, it could enable a breadth of products to offer approaches for the wide demographics of our communities and (dare I say it) neighbourhoods.
From both a doctor and patient perspective, this conversation resonates deeply. The UK has committed billions to NHS digital transformation—yet many frontline systems remain clunky, fragmented, and poorly designed. It’s not just about the NHS App. Just look at the Advice and Guidance Portal—how many clinicians or patients were meaningfully consulted before rollout? The real issue isn’t lack of investment—it’s a design and engagement failure. The gap between developers and users is too wide, leading to frustration, disengagement, and digital helplessness. We need co-creation, not top-down delivery. Let’s build tech with people, not for them—and remember that trust, awareness, and usability aren’t nice-to-haves. They’re prerequisites.
Personally, I think the NHS app has a very important role to play as a single front door, but it can’t be the only door, and it should focus on being a platform upon which components could sit. The investment should be in an open, secure product built on international standards that offers functionality but doesn’t necessarily provide it itself
This really resonates. I’ve spent the last 9 months deep in the realities of online triage, and what stands out isn’t the tech, it’s the tone. People don’t need more features, they need things that feel relevant and reassuring in the moment. Personalisation isn’t just about content, it’s about emotional fit. Until we build digital front doors that respond to people’s uncertainty as well as their symptoms, we’ll keep seeing disengagement and drop-off, no matter how good the functionality is.
Enterprise Architect & Data Management Consultant
2moThere’s a real risk we confuse the door with the house. The NHS App may improve access, but what it opens into still lacks coherence, structure, and trust. We need more than digital polish. We need metadata, architecture, and governance. I’ve written a full critique of the Tony Blair Institute’s latest NHS App report, arguing that it proposes transformation without foundations: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/seductive-promise-digital-transformation-castillo-fbcs-citp-chcio--qveoe