THE NHS is partnering with libraries across England to boost access to online health services and information.
The National Health Literacy Partnership is joining forces with the National Health Service to launch a new scheme to improve online access to services in October.
The scheme will see new toolkits and information provided to public libraries in England by the NHS Knowledge and Library Services, the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals, Libraries Connected, and Arts Council England.
These will be used to help library users to access information and services available on the NHS website and to better use the NHS app to manage their healthcare.
It comes as new figures show that pensioners are the most active users of the NHS app; more than five million pensioners have registered on the app, almost half of whom used the app between March and May.
Of registered users in their 20s, only one in four used the app in the same period, and around one in three of those registered in their 30s.
More than 12 million people used the app in that period, constituting 11.6m repeat prescriptions, and 35 million people (more than half of the population) has registered since it was launched in 2018.
The app gives access to their GP health records, manage hospital appointments, and receive notifications and updates directly from healthcare providers such as GPs.
John Quinn, Chief Information Officer at NHS England and former librarian, said: “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.”
Louise Goswami, Chief Knowledge Officer for the NHS in England said: “We are delighted to see this development with libraries, which builds on the great work we already do with the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals and public library colleagues, where we have trained 178 health literacy trainers in NHS libraries and run health literacy pilots at 14 public library sites.
“Through these pilots we learned that people were happy to be shown how to use NHS.uk by public library staff, so this phased rollout through public libraries will help even more people to access and make the most of their health information online.”
Marta Fischer, Digital Access Lead for the BOB ICB and NHS App ambassador, holds digital cafes in libraries for those who need a bit of extra help getting started with NHS digital services.
Marta said: “People find it really easy to use once I talk them through it, they find being able to see test results and their records online helpful.
“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.”
Full details about how to register for and use the NHS app are available via: nhs.uk/nhs-app
