There is support available to the public on how to access online health services including the NHS App at 1,400 libraries across England.

64 out of 151 public libraries in England have signed up to offer the service.

The NHS is working with the National Health Literacy Partnership to provide public and NHS libraries with toolkits and information resources to enable them to support their service users.

More than 35 million people are now registered to use the NHS App.

Professor Bola Owolabi, director of the National Healthcare Inequalities Improvement Programme at NHS England, said: “The NHS is determined to ensure that everyone has easy access to the latest health advice, particularly those who do not own a device or the internet, as these people are also the most likely to have poor health outcomes.

“Which is why healthcare staff will now be available in 1,400 public libraries across the country to show people how to use the NHS app or seek out health information online in a free and safe environment close to their home.

“More than 35 million people in England are already using the NHS app to view their GP records, test results and prescriptions so they can better manage their health, and the NHS hopes that many more will benefit from the offer through this new initiative.”

Louis Coiffait-Gunn, CEO at CILIP, the Library and Information Association, said: “The recent health literacy pilots in public libraries demonstrate that people want to be shown how to use NHS.uk and the NHS app by trained public library professionals.

“This phased rollout through public libraries will help even more people access and make the most of their own health information online, in order to ultimately improve their health outcomes. This is particularly important for disadvantaged communities, where libraries are such important local hubs.”