What is the NHS App?
The NHS App is a simple and secure way for patients to access a range of NHS services, including Engage Consult.
How can patients access the NHS App?
Details can be found here: https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/online-services/nhs-app/
Below you can find a demonstration of how patients can contact the surgery using the NHS app to submit medical and admin queries:
Benefits of using the NHS App for Engage Consult
Signup
Only one set of credentials, in the form of NHS Login, is required to access the NHS App service. This means patients do not need to go through the process of making an additional account for Engage Consult.
Ease of use
When a patient is accessing NHS services via the App, they will no longer be required to navigate away to their practice website, locate the Engage Consult link and login with a separate set of login credentials. As they will already be signed in with NHS Login, the patient can send the consultation right then and there within the App.
Which Engage Consult features are missing when using the NHS App?
There are limitations from the NHS App which meant the following features aren't available when accessing Engage Consult from the NHS App.
- Patients and practice staff cannot send attachments
How it appears in the standard Engage Consult
- Patients cannot select “Who do you want help from?”
How it appears in the standard Engage Consult
- Patients cannot review the output page before it is sent
- After having typed in symptoms, Engage Consult offers Useful information that may help. These pages won't be displayed via this route as the information is already readily available in the NHS App.
- Patients cannot upload health data (Blood Pressure and Weight) to their practice.
