Tens of thousands across East of England expected to open up NHS App on Christmas Day 

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Record numbers of people are expected to log into the NHS App on Christmas Day to help manage their health.

New analysis from NHS England has found that more than 33,000 people in the East of England used the app on 25 December 2024 – with even more expected this Christmas Day.

Figures show that the NHS advice pages on norovirus, flu and chest infections were the most visited conditions nationally through the NHS App and nhs.uk website on Christmas Day 2024, with nearly 22,500 views between them.

The NHS has released a Spotify Wrapped-style end-of-year update which shows the NHS App now has more than 39.8 million registered users nationally and 2.9 million across the East of England region.

A staggering 67.8m repeat prescriptions were ordered nationally through the app in the past 12 months (1 December 2024 to 30 November 2025), with 7.6 million of those in the East of England.

The latest published national usage figures show 70.5m NHS App logins for October alone – a 63% increase over the 24/25 monthly average – and a total of 6.8m secondary care appointments managed, 6.4m repeat prescriptions ordered and 22.5m views of GP health records.

New features that have been added to the NHS App this year include an Amazon-style prescription tracker – available at nearly 2,000 pharmacies in England – that lets patients see when their medication is ready to be collected, and a new family feature that makes it easier for parents and carers to manage their loved ones’ health.

The NHS App will also be a key part of the new NHS Online service which is due to launch in 2027 and will allow patients to book directly through the app to see specialists from around the country online, without leaving their home or having to wait longer for a face-to-face appointment. 

The NHS is there for people all day, every day and it’s great to see that over 33,000 people in the East of England opened up the NHS App on Christmas Day last year to get the help they needed.

With over 2.9 million people in the region now registered with the NHS App, I would encourage anyone who needs it to log into the app over the festive season to take advantage of the range of features it now offers – from tracking when your prescription is ready to checking the latest health advice.

As ever, please continue to use A&E and 999 in life-threatening emergencies or use 111.nhs.uk and other services through the NHS App for less urgent conditions.

Nicky Murphy, Regional Director of Digital Transformation for NHS England – East of England

The NHS has also published a list of 12 Ways to Use the NHS App at Christmas to highlight the range of services now on offer:

Medications

  1. Order a repeat prescription and check when it’s ready.  
  2. Nominate a pharmacy to make it easier to collect prescriptions.
  3. Find your nearest pharmacy that’s open.     
  4. Check NHS advice on taking different medicines.

Health advice

  1. Check if you need urgent medical help using 111 online.     
  2. Have your GP health record to hand when you’re on the move.     
  3. Find services near you like sexual health clinics and dentists.     
  4. Check your health status for your new year resolutions with the BMI, BP and Heart Age tool.  

Appointments

  1. Check and manage hospital appointments and GP ones.
  2. Turn on message notifications to avoid missing appointments from your GP and hospital. 

Get involved in improving the NHS

  1. Sign up to be part of health research.     
  2. Have your say on making the NHS fit for the future.     

Find out more details on how to register with the NHS App:

NHS App