Humber Teaching NHS Foundation Trust Leading the Way With Digital NHS App Pathway

We are delighted to share that our Trust has received funding from NHS England to introduce new features that will let patients manage their appointments and visits directly through the NHS App in future. NHS England has asked our Trust to lead this work, chosen as the first organisation to implement these features on behalf of 11 other Trusts also using the SystmOne Electronic Patient Record (EPR). We will be sharing the learning from this project nationally with all SystmOne organisations.

Currently in the development stage, it forms part of the Wayfinder programme, an NHS England initiative already used across Primary Care and many Secondary Care services. We currently use Accurx to communicate with our patients, but Wayfinder will allow key information to appear directly in the NHS App. This supports the NHS 10-year plan, which aims for all NHS Trusts to adopt a digital‑first approach.

Once fully operational, Wayfinder will allow patients to do:

- View past and upcoming appointments and visits in the NHS App

- Receive appointment notifications, updates and documents

- Cancel, amend or book appointments (where appropriate)

All information will be taken directly and securely from the Trust’s EPR, meaning it will always be up to date, accurate and requires no manual input or duplication.

By improving visibility of appointments and enabling digital communication, Wayfinder helps reduce missed appointments and improves patient experience and accessibility. It also supports more efficient clinical and administrative workflows.

Wayfinder will be more than an appointment‑management tool. It is an NHS England digital service that will give patients access to key information about their secondary care referrals and elective care through the NHS App or NHS website.

Having Wayfinder within the NHS App in future will make it easier for patients to manage appointments and communicate with services at any time. It provides clear, timely information and allows patients to complete questionnaires that update their records instantly. This will ultimately help NHS Trusts stay informed, reduce missed appointments and late arrivals. It will also enable quicker cancellations and rescheduling which ultimately improve waiting times and clinic utilisation.

Lee Rickles, Chief Information Officer at Humber Teaching NHS Foundation Trust said, “We are really pleased to have been chosen for this opportunity by NHS England. As a Trust we are committed to a digital-first approach and how this aligns to the NHS 10-year plan. This introduction will support patient experience as well as equip our clinical staff with up-to-date information to support decisions and care.”

Our Trust has committed to keeping other SystmOne organisations updated on progress when work begins. We will share documents, processes and learning to support their future onboarding, with updates provided through a planned monthly meeting.