Scotland's £17 Million Health App Sees Less Than 1% Adult Adoption

Scotland's new £17 million health app, MyCare.Scot, has been downloaded by only 22,000 adults, representing less than 1% of the nation's adult population. Launched in June, the app was intended to provide secure access to NHS services, but has been plagued by technical problems and low uptake.

Critics have labeled the app an 'embarrassment to the nation' and called for Scotland to adopt the successful English NHS app, which boasts nearly 90% adult adoption. Information obtained by the Mail on Sunday reveals that the app's usage falls far short of the government's initial goal of 20% adoption.

Concerns were previously raised by former SNP Health Secretary Alex Neil, who suggested Scotland should utilize the existing English NHS app instead of developing its own. He argued that Scotland did not need to 'reinvent the wheel' or add a 'Saltire' to every initiative.

Scottish Conservative health and care spokesman Miles Briggs MSP criticized the SNP's decision to develop a proprietary app, stating that it makes things 'harder and more expensive' for patients. He noted that the app's promised features, such as managing appointments and accessing hospital letters, are still not available. Briggs suggested that the resources allocated to the app could have been better used to improve frontline care, reduce waiting times, and support NHS staff.

The MyCare.Scot app is part of the government's digital front door strategy, aiming to simplify patient access to health records, medications, and appointments. Currently, the app displays patients' Community Health Index (CHI) number, vaccination status, allergies, and address. The government states that future updates will include social work and social care functions, with the goal of making it the most comprehensive health and care app in the UK.

Between its national rollout in April and late August, only 24,443 individuals had registered for the service. Users have reported difficulties with the app, including issues with logging in and verifying identity through the required ScotAccount system. Many users have been directed to a government helpline to resolve these problems.

Online reviews for the app have been overwhelmingly negative. Users have described it as 'useless' and lacking essential functions like ordering medication or displaying appointment details. Some reviews express frustration, with one user stating, 'This is possibly one of the most useless apps I’ve ever encountered.' Another described it as 'an embarrassment to the whole nation.'

Scottish Labour health spokeswoman Jackie Baillie accused the SNP of incompetence, stating that Scotland is 'trailing behind' other parts of the UK in implementing a functional NHS app. She criticized the government for wasting time and focusing on 'political optics' rather than delivering a user-friendly app capable of basic functions like booking appointments and ordering prescriptions.

Internal government reports indicated that while the English NHS app had been 'proven at scale,' the 'political optics of adopting an English solution' influenced the decision to develop a separate Scottish app. The English NHS app, launched in 2018, offers features like prescription tracking and has registered nearly 42 million users. In comparison, Northern Ireland's 'My Care' app has around 350,000 users, and the NHS Wales app is used by 25% of its adult population.

A Scottish Government spokesperson defended the MyCare.Scot app, stating that its phased rollout was intentional and that the focus is on adding features and functionality. They also asserted that the English NHS app is incompatible with Scotland's IT infrastructure and that MyCare.Scot aims to be more comprehensive by including health and care services.