Humber Teaching NHS Trust leads NHS App appointment rollout

Humber Teaching NHS Foundation Trust has been chosen by NHS England to introduce new appointment and visit management features through the NHS App. It will lead the work for 11 other trusts that also use the SystmOne electronic patient record.

The project is being developed as part of Wayfinder, an NHS England programme already used across primary care and many secondary care services. Humber currently uses Accurx to communicate with patients, but the new route will place key information directly in the NHS App.

Once in place, the system is expected to let patients view past and upcoming appointments and visits in the app, receive notifications, updates and documents, and in some cases cancel, amend or book appointments. Information will be drawn directly from the trust's electronic patient record, removing the need for manual duplication.

NHS England selected Humber for the first implementation among organisations using SystmOne, with the aim of sharing lessons from the work more widely across the NHS. This gives the trust an early role in a national effort to move more patient communication and appointment management into the NHS App and website.

Digital Pathway

Wayfinder is intended to do more than manage appointments. The trust says it will also give patients access to information about secondary care referrals and elective care through the NHS App or website.

The service is also designed to let patients complete questionnaires that update their records immediately. This could help services keep records current while giving patients a clearer view of their care pathway.

Health systems have been under pressure to cut missed appointments and make better use of clinic time, and digital reminders and self-service changes are seen as one way to do that. Better visibility of appointments and more direct digital communication could help reduce missed appointments and late arrivals, while making cancellations and rescheduling faster.

The approach could also support clinical and administrative workflows by making information current and available directly from the patient record. That may reduce the need for staff to repeat data entry across separate systems.

National Learning

As the lead organisation for the initial deployment among SystmOne trusts, Humber says it will keep other organisations updated as the work progresses. It plans to share documents, processes and lessons from the rollout to support later onboarding by other providers.

The project is both a local implementation and a test case for wider adoption. Because the participating trusts use a common electronic patient record system, the outcome may be relevant to a broad group of NHS organisations looking to move patient interactions into the NHS App.

The initiative also aligns with the NHS's wider push towards a digital-first model for access and communication. For trusts, one key operational question will be whether patients use self-service features at scale and whether that reduces pressure on phone lines and administrative teams.

For patients, the practical effect would be a single place to check appointments, receive updates and respond to requests from services. That may be especially relevant for people managing repeated outpatient visits or referral pathways across different parts of the NHS.

Lee Rickles, Chief Information Officer at Humber Teaching NHS Foundation Trust, said: "We are really pleased to have been chosen for this opportunity by NHS England. As a trust, we are committed to a digital-first approach and how this aligns with the NHS 10-year plan. This introduction will support the patient experience as well as equip our clinical staff with up-to-date information to support decisions and care."