Hancock praises NHS app after 1.3m people register since vaccine status added

More than 1.3 million people have registered with the NHS app since it was announced users will be able to show if they have received the Covid-19 vaccine.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock praised the “unparalleled pace” in which the vaccine status function was added to the app, since its announcement on May 7.

The app enables users to show proof they have received the vaccine, should it be required for international travel.

It has more than 4.8 million registered users and also enables people to book GP appointments, order repeat prescriptions and view GP and hospital records, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said.

Since May 17 – when the vaccine status function was added – people have logged into the app more than four million times.

A further 11,483 people registered their preference for organ donation via the NHS App in just four days – 10 times more than average for that time, DHSC said.

Mr Hancock said: “The strides in technology and innovation we’ve made throughout the pandemic are having real consequences beyond fighting this virus – they’re making treatment, diagnosis and care better for patients.

“I want to thank all my colleagues at NHSX and NHS Digital who helped us to deliver the Covid-19 vaccine status service so quickly.

“The pace we’ve brought this to fruition is unparalleled and it is bringing immediate benefits to our wider health service.

“I encourage everyone to download the NHS app, it will help you access a host of services.”

Those who do not have access to the app in England can call 119 and request a letter as proof that they have received two doses of the coronavirus vaccine.

Some 20,000 vaccine letters were delivered across the country on Saturday, DHSC said.

Matthew Gould, chief executive of NHSX, which is the health service’s digital innovation unit, said: “This has been stood up in a matter of weeks, by a team working every hour to ensure we delivered a user-friendly service on time.

“We are really pleased with how it’s been received and even more pleased to see it get so many people using the online services of the NHS.”

Since May 10 there have been 1,410,386 downloads of the NHS App and 1,302,611 new registered users.