To celebrate Get Online Week 2025, Good Things Foundation’s annual digital inclusion campaign, 100% Digital Leeds and NHS England worked in partnership to increase support for people in Leeds to use the NHS app. The Get Online Week campaign focuses on helping people discover the benefits of being online and building their confidence in using the internet.
In Leeds, GP Practices are promoting and rolling out the NHS app as a digital tool for people to order repeat prescriptions, book and manage appointments, have access to GP health records, and for symptom checking.
NHS England’s NHS app team used their employer-supported volunteering hours to deliver NHS app digital support sessions with four third sector partner organisations:
100% Digital Leeds coordinated the sessions based on the needs of the individual organisations, embedding the support within their existing weekly digital inclusion sessions.
Building digital skills and confidence
Out Together is a charity that supports older LGBTQ+ adults, providing social activities to combat loneliness. 100% Digital Leeds has worked in partnership with Out Together for over two years, supporting them to develop their digital inclusion offer, which has led to them setting up weekly sessions for members to increase their digital skills and confidence.
At Out Together’s Get Online Week session, the group’s initial discussion and concerns with the NHS app focused on:
- Frustrations around the different functionality of the NHS app depending on which functions each GP practice has chosen to switch on for their patients.
- Issues with verifying their identity when setting up the app.
- Issues with logging in, PIN numbers, and the complexity of multi-factor authentication.
- Questions around whether the NHS app can be used to manage hospital appointments and access notes as well as Primary Care.
Within the sessions the NHS app team volunteers shared a walkthrough of the app, answered questions and concerns, and increased people’s confidence and skills in using it.
“The session was really helpful. In the past I’ve tended to rely on my partner to do things online for me because I’m not very confident with digital. My GP practice is encouraging us to not ring up to make appointments, and this has meant I’ve avoided making doctor’s appointments when I probably ought to have had something checked out. The staff today have talked me through the NHS app features so that I know what to do, and I’ve bookmarked the app so I can easily find it on my phone. I feel more confident that I can do it myself now.”
Service User, Out Together.
Raising awareness of the features and benefits
The NHS app volunteers shared information on navigating the different features of the app, as well as a step-by-step walkthrough of the log in process, including how to access a security code sent via email without having to leave the app. They also showed people how to log in on other devices via the browser version, which has the same features as the app version. To support better understanding about the different features and benefits of using the app, 100% Digital Leeds shared the resource bank of How To guides for people to use on the sessions and refer back to afterwards.
“I had trouble logging in to the app because when I tried to log in it sent me an email with a verification code. I couldn’t get to my emails without closing the app, then when I had the code and went to open the app again, it sent me a different code! So I couldn’t ever get into the app. Today I learned how to see the code without closing the NHS app – I didn’t know I could do this by dragging down at the top of my screen to see my notifications. I learned how to copy and paste the code, too. So now I can access the NHS app!”
Service User, Out Together.
“I already had the NHS app but I didn’t know how much you could do with it! I had no idea I could access my GP health records going back 10 years, which is amazing and really useful.”
Service User, Out Together.
Morley Digital is a charity that provides digital inclusion support for people living in Morley and surrounding areas. The NHS app team attended their weekly digital skills session where they cover various themes such as health and wellbeing, transport, and staying safe online.
“It was brilliant to have the NHS app volunteers attend our group, they did a short presentation about the NHS app which was well received and informative. Many of the group members asked for one-to-one support with downloading the app, and help with how to use it. The volunteers took the time to spend with individuals and provided such helpful support and information.”
Digital Inclusion Worker, Morley Digital.
Working in partnership with Primary Care
Age UK Leeds is a charity that provides services for older people across Leeds to improve health, wellbeing, and social connections. Age UK Leeds deliver digital drop-in sessions at Swarcliffe Community Shop where the Get Online Week session took place, working closely with Swarcliffe Good Neighbours. Local Primary Care staff from Windmill Health Centre attended the Get Online Week session as many of their patients need support using the app to make appointments and order prescriptions.
“It’s great to deliver weekly support for people with all things digital, including using the NHS app. Many of the local practices are encouraging people to use it, and it means people can get the support in the heart of the community.”
Wellbeing Coordinator, Age UK Leeds.
Age UK Leeds will continue to deliver the weekly digital drop-ins at Swarcliffe Community Centre every Wednesday from 1:30pm to 2:30pm. Primary Care staff and local organisations can now signpost and refer people into these sessions to receive digital support.
“The digital support from Age UK Leeds is just what we’ve needed for our patients. Having somewhere to signpost them, and a safe space for them to be guided through the logging in process to take away any fears and concerns. Thanks to 100% Digital Leeds we’re also going to have digital inclusion awareness training for our staff which will really build confidence.”
Practice staff, Windmill Health Centre.
100% Digital Leeds will deliver digital inclusion awareness workshops for Windmill Health Centre staff. The workshops will help practice staff to better understand the digital inclusion barriers their patients face, increase their confidence in promoting the benefits of digital, and give them more options to signpost their patients to digital inclusion support in the area. This will link with 100% Digital Leeds’s wider work with Primary Care in the city.
Sharing feedback
Burmantofts Community Friends (BCF) supports people aged 55+ living in Burmantofts and the surrounding areas. Their Get Online Week session was held as part of their Breakfast and Browsers weekly digital support session, and many of their members had already signed up and were using the NHS app after receiving regular support from the staff at BCF.
“It was good to meet the NHS app team and hear more about the app. People fed back to them about how they use it and the features they’ve found challenging. We have lots of members who attend our lunch club that would benefit from help with it and would love a future visit from the team.”
Member Engagement Worker, Burmantofts Community Friends.
The NHS app team shared information about the NHS app roadmap, discussing the future improvements the team are in the process of making to the app to overcome challenges with navigation and features, and improve the user experience.
Next steps
Based on the success of the sessions delivered in Get Online Week, 100% Digital Leeds and NHS England are keen to continue working in partnership. Future opportunities to provide digital support for the app via the NHS app staff volunteer scheme is in discussion. 100% Digital Leeds will work with the team to ensure that this support meets community need, in partnership with third sector organisations and Primary Care teams across the city.
100% Digital Leeds is also working in partnership with Virgin Media O2 (VMO2), as part of their Connect More digital skills programme, to deliver NHS app digital skills support sessions in GP Practices across Leeds.
NHS app support is also available at the following O2 stores in the city:
- Crossgates – Unit 53a, Crossgates Shopping Centre, Leeds, LS15 8ET
- Trinity Leeds – Unit 3, Trinity Leeds, Albion Street, Leeds, LS1 5AE
- White Rose Centre – Unit 12 South Mall, White Rose Shopping Centre, Leeds, LS11 8LL
Anyone can go into these O2 stores at any time and receive support with using the NHS app.