![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0_GettyImages-1529956255.jpg\")
The NHS app was launched in 2019 in England<\/p>\nThe Scottish Government refused to adopt the UK Government’s technology for building a NHS app – meaning Scots patients must still rely on physical documents and phoning up to get doctor appointments.The NHS app was launched in 2019 in England<\/p>\n
SNP “incompetence” has been blamed for the fact that Scots still don’t have access to an NHS app – more than 2,500 days after one was introduced in England. Patients south of the border can access their medical records and book appointments on a bespoke application on their phones.<\/a><\/p>\n The Scottish Government had the chance to use this software<\/a> but rejected this as it wanted to make a Scotland-specific app from scratch. It has led to numerous delays, with recent reports claiming that it won’t even be fully rolled out until 2030, a year before another Holyrood election.<\/p>\n SNP Ministers have confessed that the technology would benefit patients and help them reduce waiting lists and get people treatment quicker. <\/a>But despite making numerous promises and announcements about an impending app, it has only just been created and is being piloted in one health board area for one specific area (dermatology).<\/p>\n In contrast, patients in England<\/a> have had access to the app since January 23, 2019 \u2013 precisely 2,536 days from today\u2019s date. In that time, the app has been downloaded tens of millions of times, reducing the need for physical letters and increasing efficiency.This year alone, an estimated 270 million messages were sent through the app, saving roughly \u00a3200 million.<\/p>\n READ MORE: <\/strong>John Swinney to break yet another SNP promise – just ahead of the Holyrood Election<\/a><\/p>\n According to documents, SNP Ministers decided against pursuing the same technology as England because of the \u201cpolitical optics of adopting\u201d an identical system. It is still not going to be available for the majority of patients for a number of years, with critics blasting the Scottish Government.<\/a><\/p>\n Alastair Cameron, chair of Scotland in Union, said: \u201cThe NHS app in England is so well established that patients there say they can\u2019t imagine how we manage without it. It launched several years ago and seems to be constantly expanding. Yet in Scotland, because of SNP intransigence and incompetence, we have nothing.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople could sympathise with waiting briefly to see how the app in England played out before implementing it here. But for more than 2,500 days to pass \u2013 when the NHS England app is a success \u2013 is totally inexcusable. Narrow-minded nationalists are rejecting something purely because it\u2019s been done in England. It is yet more proof that this SNP is utterly unfit for government, and must be voted out in May.\u201d<\/p>\n SNP Health Secretary Neil Gray pointed to ways he was trying to improve the NHS. He said: “We are investing \u00a3220 million to reduce waiting times, improve hospital flow and minimise delayed discharges, and our plan is working. For five months in a row, fewer people are waiting more than a year for treatment.<\/p>\n READ MORE: SNP blasted as over a thousand Scots die awaiting cancer treatment – with one left waiting 510 days<\/a>READ MORE: SNP can be removed from power in 2026 in a ‘defining year’ for Scotland as two decades of ‘nationalist control’ CAN be stopped<\/a><\/p>\n “We have turned a corner, with the level of operations performed in October being the highest since the pandemic, and the number of diagnostic tests carried out has also increased. The timelines referenced reflect the need for careful planning of major change to deliver sustainable improvements rather than short-term fixes.<\/p>\n “Our investment is supporting the development of front-door frailty services in every health board in Scotland and expanding Hospital at Home capacity to at least 2,000 beds by the end of 2026. These measures will help us shift the focus of care from acute to community.”<\/p>\n![\"Alastair](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1_utilsjpeg.jpg\")
Alastair Cameron, founder of Scotland in Union. <\/p>\n