RCGP responds to NHS app overhaul

Publication date: 26 June 2025

RCGP responds to the Government’s plans to overhaul the NHS App, by integrating AI, to address health inequalities.

Professor Kamila Hawthorne, Chair of the Royal College of GPs, said: “It is encouraging to see more indication that addressing health inequalities will be a focus of the forthcoming Ten Year Health Plan – also seen with the commitment to review the funding formula for general practice – but whether this can be achieved with the use of AI and an overhaul of the NHS App remains to be seen.

 

“We’re always open to exploring new technologies that can improve the experience of patients, and we would always encourage patients to engage with information and advice about their health. Integrated AI within the NHS App could be a useful tool in this respect – but any use of AI to aid diagnosis would have to be evidence-based and rigorously evaluated before it is rolled out for use with patients.

 

“The NHS App has a lot of potential for enhancing the way patients engage with the health service, and the idea of using it to give people greater choice about how they access their care is an interesting one. However, we know that current NHS IT infrastructure is in urgent need of improvement and while pledges have been made to tackle this, major AI developments still feel a long way off when many GPs are reporting that their basic IT systems are slow, inefficient and can’t communicate with one another effectively.

 

“This is why the College has called on the Government for additional ringfenced funding - of at least £2 billion - to address the substantial shortcomings in both our physical and digital infrastructure.”

Further information

RCGP press office: 0203 188 7659


press@rcgp.org.uk


Notes to editors

The Royal College of General Practitioners is a network of more than 54,000 family doctors working to improve care for patients. We work to encourage and maintain the highest standards of general medical practice and act as the voice of GPs on education, training, research and clinical standards.