NHS England has opened a national funding round worth between £15 million and £20 million, inviting health providers to apply for grants that will support the adoption of digital referral and appointment management systems in the 2026/27 financial year.

The funding is directed at three platforms: the Booking and Referral Standard (BaRS), the NHS e-Referral Service (e-RS), and the appointment management function within the NHS App, known as Wayfinder. Providers can apply for support to scale patient-initiated follow-up services, improve appointment notifications and messaging, and redesign clinical pathways in line with Getting It Right First Time guidance. Organisations that take on a coordinating role across a division or system are also eligible.

Applications must be submitted by 31 May 2026. NHS England has published a briefing pack, proposal form and FAQs, and recorded webinars from April briefing sessions are available for acute trusts, mental health providers, community health services, and patient portal suppliers. Enquiries can be directed to england.referralsandappointments@nhs.net.

The funding sits within a broader government push to expand the role of the NHS App. An ambition to establish the app as the main digital gateway for NHS services was detailed in the Ten Year Health Plan, which was released earlier this year. Sir Jim Mackey, chief executive of NHS England, said the app would give patients "much more ownership of their healthcare, all from wherever they are at the tap of a screen."

Under those plans, the app would incorporate an AI-assisted tool called My NHS GP to direct patients to the most appropriate service, alongside My Choices for provider selection, My Specialist for self-referral, and My Consult for remote consultations with clinicians. The intention is to consolidate access to NHS services into a single patient-facing platform.

To support that development, NHS England has contracted IBM as a strategic delivery partner under an agreement worth up to £160 million. The contract runs from May 2026 to March 2028 and was awarded following a competitive procurement process. NHS England described the appointment as part of its effort to develop "secure, reliable and user-centred pathways and services at scale."

Several trusts are already in the process of implementing the appointment management functionality. Humber Teaching NHS Foundation Trust is leading a rollout, funded by NHS England, which will be replicated across eleven other trusts using the SystmOne electronic patient record system. Once live, patients will be able to view past and upcoming appointments, receive notifications, access related documents, book, cancel or amend appointments, and complete questionnaires directly through the NHS App.

The NHS App already has a range of third-party providers integrated into it. These include Accurx and Anima Health for online consultations, Patients Know Best for personal health records, and DrDoctor and Health Call for secondary care services.

The funding round comes as NHS England faces sustained pressure to reduce waiting times and improve patient access. Digital appointment management has been identified as one mechanism for reducing administrative burden on trusts and giving patients more direct control over their care. Whether the scale of investment on offer will be sufficient to drive meaningful change across a fragmented provider landscape remains to be seen, but the deadline of 31 May gives interested organisations little time to hesitate.