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Written question asked by Lord Kamall (Conservative) on Wednesday, 8 July 2026, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 22 July 2026. It was answered by Baroness Merron (Labour) on Friday, 17 July 2026 on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care.


NHS: Software

Question

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Merron on 22 June (HL816), how the "similar functionality" commitment applies to (1) the "native code and native interfaces" re-implementation of the NHS app with any new minimal compatibility requirements; (2) services in the current NHS app; and (3) future updates to the NHS app which will not be compatible with older devices which remain in active use by patients.

Answer

The Government is fully committed to developing the NHS App for the benefit of patients and services in the National Health Service, in line with the 10-Year Health Plan.

We have consistently minimised any divergence between code bases and will continue to do so in the future as we develop the NHS App. This helps to optimise the service for patients.

We are continuing to fully develop the NHS App for users as an iOS app, an Android app, and as a website. Where there are any differences between these formats, this can be due to natural differences in design due to different operating systems and conventions or it can also occur as new features are rolled out across formats, one at a time. In the case of the latter, this means any differences may only be temporary.

We are committed to making the NHS App as accessible as possible, whilst at the same time ensuring the software remains safe and secure for use by patients. We review the operating system and browser version policy annually, to determine how best to strike this balance.


Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
HL1815
Session
2026-27
Related items
NHS: Software
Monday, 22 June 2026
Written questions
House of Lords
Subjects
Software NHS
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk