It is estimated that at least 50 million letters are sent to patients each year. The department says 270 million messages will be sent through the NHS app this financial year - an increase of 70 million on the previous year. Figures show that more than 11 million people in the UK log into the NHS app every month, while almost 20 million are opted in to receive healthcare messages from the app. NHS app services, which were launched in December 2018, are now used in 87% of hospitals across England. Rachel Power, chief executive of the Patient's Association, said the upgrade was a "significant step in modernising how patients receive information".