Accessibility failings in NHS App, APPG report says

The NHS App risks locking out blind and partially sighted people, research from the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Eye Health and Visual Impairment has found.

A survey of 64 people, all of whom are either blind or partially sighted or have lived experience, has reported that 53% find the NHS App “not accessible” or only “slightly accessible.”

The Government wants to make the app its “digital front door” by 2028, as it rolls out its pillar of analogue to digital NHS transformation, as detailed in the 10-Year Health Plan.

Marsha de Cordova MP, chair of the APPG on Eye Health and Visual Impairment, said that, although she supports this ambition, “a door that blind and partially sighted people like myself cannot open is not a front door for everyone.”

The Accessible healthcare in a digital NHS report was created based on evidence collected by the APPG between May and July 2026. Those surveyed included people with lived experience of sight loss, carers, clinicians, accessibility specialists, representative organisations, and policymakers.

A parliamentary oral evidence session, chaired by de Cordova and held on 30 June, saw people with lived experience, clinicians, NHS England representatives, policymakers and accessibility experts give evidence on digital healthcare. The evidence gathered during the session was used alongside the survey to create the report.

The research found that 50% of those who need their healthcare information provided in an accessible format “rarely” or “never” receive it that way.

Almost half (46%) of respondents who use the NHS App reported finding it “difficult” or “very difficult” to use.

More than half (56%) said that reading letters or documents was one of the hardest parts of using the app.

“Only 3% of people who responded to our survey rated the NHS App as fully accessible, and too many told us they still cannot read their own appointment letters or test results without asking someone else for help,” de Cordova said.

“In 2026, that is not acceptable. Accessibility has to be built in from the start, with blind and partially sighted people co-designing these services.”

Blind and partially sighted people have the right to receive information about their health and care in a format they can read and understand

Next steps for accessibility in the NHS App

The APPG is calling on the Government and NHS England to enhance the NHS App’s accessibility and expand its capabilities through co-development with people with lived experience of blindness or sight loss.

The NHS App should ensure that patients can record their accessibility needs once, via NHS England’s Accessible Information Standard and Reasonable Adjustment Digital Flag, the APPG said.

Regular independent audits should be established and there should be a named, responsible owner in every NHS organisation in order to strengthen accountability, the APPG also recommended.

The report also noted that non-digital alternatives should remain available wherever health services are digitised, and that these should be backed by measurable accessibility targets.

Khadija Raza, policy lead at the Royal National Institute of Blind People, which co-sponsors the APPG on Eye Health and Visual impairment, said: “Blind and partially sighted people have the right to receive information about their health and care in a format they can read and understand.

“However, in practice we know this right is rarely implemented.”

The consequences of this “could cause serious risk to health, wellbeing, safety, and privacy,” Raza emphasised.

She added: “The NHS App could be a great tool for digitally enabled blind and partially sighted people if designed accessibly, but non-digital options should be maintained for those who cannot access online services.

“This would allow blind and partially sighted people to manage their health with the same level of privacy, dignity, and independence as everyone else.”