New update allows users to see referral status and manage health while waiting for treatment
PEOPLE across Wales can now check where they stand on NHS waiting lists using the NHS Wales App, following a new update announced by the Welsh Government.
The latest version of the app allows patients who have been added to a waiting list since December to view their waiting list status, see details of their referral into hospital care and access information to help them manage their health while waiting for treatment.
Users can also view information about upcoming hospital appointments, including directions and supporting guidance, helping patients better prepare for their visits.
According to the Welsh Government, more than 80,000 waiting list referrals and over 197,000 hospital appointment notifications have already been added to the app.
The NHS Wales App, which is available in both Welsh and English, has been downloaded by more than 650,000 people since its launch in April 2023 – around one in five adults in Wales. In that time, there have been nearly 13.5 million logins and more than three million repeat prescription orders made through the app.
The app forms a key part of the Welsh Government’s wider digital strategy for the NHS, aimed at improving access to services for people registered with a GP in Wales.
Patients can already use the app to order repeat prescriptions, view their health timeline and prescription history, check their organ donation decision and access trusted health advice, including screening and wellbeing services. It also allows users to send secure messages to their GP surgery.
The app includes a Welsh Identity Verification Service, offering an alternative for people who are unable to use the standard NHS Login.
Minister for Mental Health and Wellbeing Sarah Murphy said the update delivers on a promise to give patients clearer information about waiting times.
“Our ambition remains for the NHS Wales App to become the digital front door for all NHS and social care services,” she said. “We promised to give people more information about how long they can expect to wait for treatment, and these updates deliver on that commitment.
“We will continue to update and expand the app’s capabilities, ensuring it meets the needs of patients and clinicians alike.”
Future developments will include access to summary health records and test results through the app, the Welsh Government confirmed.
