Scots’ 2,500 day wait for NHS app

Patients across Scotland are still waiting for an NHS app – more than 2,500 days after it was introduced in England.

Despite widespread admission among SNP ministers that such a technology would benefit Scotland’s health service, nothing has been delivered.

In contrast, patients in England have had access to the app since January 23, 2019 – precisely 2,536 days from today’s date.

In that time, the app has been downloaded tens of millions of times, reducing the need for physical letters and increasing efficiency.

This year alone, an estimated 270 million messages were sent through the app, saving roughly £200 million.

In contrast, Scottish ministers decided against pursuing the same technology as England because of the “political optics of adopting” an identical system.

It will now not be available until April at the earliest.

Alastair Cameron, chair of Scotland in Union, said:

“The NHS app in England is so well established that patients there say they can’t imagine how we manage without it.

“It launched several years ago and seems to be constantly expanding.

“Yet in Scotland, because of SNP intransigence and incompetence, we have nothing.

“People could sympathise with waiting briefly to see how the app in England played out before implementing it here.

“But for more than 2,500 days to pass – when the NHS England app is a success – is totally inexcusable.

“Narrow-minded nationalists are rejecting something purely because it’s been done in England.

“It is yet more proof that this SNP is utterly unfit for government, and must be voted out in May.”

Notes:

The NHS England app launched in January 2019 - https://www.england.nhs.uk/2019/01/nhs-app-begins-public-rollout/

It is increasingly popular and repeatedly upgraded and expanded - https://www.gov.uk/government/news/patients-to-receive-reminders-and-test-results-via-the-nhs-app

The Scottish Government decided against following NHS England for political reasons - https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2025/11/24/snp-nhs-app-separate-scottish-political-optics-english/

Scotland’s version will be launched in April 2026 at the earliest - https://www.digitalhealth.net/2025/09/scotlands-nhs-app-will-not-be-widely-available-until-april-2026/