TAXI JAB
Major overhaul of NHS app will make ‘booking a jab as easy as booking a cab’
PATIENTS will be able to book jabs online in an Uber-style overhaul of the NHS app.
Your vaccine history will be available on your smartphone and it will be possible to book missed shots with a simple click.
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Parents will also be able to keep track of their children’s immunisations as health chiefs fear falling coverage is risking a return of Victorian bugs like measles and polio.
NHS England’s CEO Amanda Pritchard said: “With the NHS app we’ll make sure booking a jab is as easy as booking a cab.
“Users will be able to access their full vaccine status in a matter of seconds and book jabs with a simple swipe and tap.”
The app, which has 33million users, is already used for flu and Covid vaccines.
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By 2026 it will be rolled out to cover all 16 diseases that the NHS vaccinates against.
Patients currently have to contact their GP to check which shots they have had and to book more.
Making the process simpler is part of an NHS plan to increase uptake of vital jabs.
Medics will also visit areas where rates are low and encourage people to get themselves and their children protected.
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Around one in 10 children are not up to date with vaccines that protect against deadly diseases like polio, measles and meningitis.
And HPV vaccination is key to the NHS ambition to eliminate cervical cancer in England by 2040.
Steve Russell, the NHS’ vaccines director, said: “We want to see even more people supported to take up the offer of lifesaving vaccinations.
“It’s the best way to protect you and those around you from illnesses which can be fatal.”
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