NHS Wales App GP website — replace your My Health Online links.

What changed in 2024

Digital Health and Care Wales confirmed the decommissioning of My Health Online for most Welsh GP practices by 31 March 2024. Patients who had used MHO for appointment booking, repeat-prescription ordering, and access to their record were migrated — or asked to migrate — to the NHS Wales App. Some practices retained legacy integrations for a longer transition window, but the strategic direction set by DHCW and Welsh Government has been unambiguous since 2023: NHS Wales App is the patient-facing digital front door.

The practical consequence for GP websites is that any "Login to My Health Online" button, embedded MHO widget, or My Health Online registration flow is now wrong. Most patients clicking those links arrive at a service-not-available page or a redirect that doesn't quite work. Reception phones ring. Practices we have spoken to in cluster meetings report still receiving 4-8 calls a week from patients confused by the dead routes — and that's two years on.

NHS Wales App is not the NHS App

This is the single most-confused point in Welsh primary care digital signposting. The NHS App, run by NHS England, does not work for Welsh patients registered with Welsh practices. The NHS Wales App, run by DHCW, does — but only where DHCW has integrated the patient's clinical system. They have separate App Store and Play Store listings, separate identity-verification flows, and separate feature sets.

A Welsh GP website that uses NHS App badge artwork, links to nhs.uk download pages, or describes "the NHS App" without the "Wales" qualifier is sending patients to the wrong product. Our default Welsh GP build uses the correct DHCW App badges, the correct download URLs for both stores, and copy that explains the App's current integration coverage in plain English (and Welsh).

The Vision to EMIS migration in 2025-26

Most Welsh practices currently on Vision (the InPS clinical system) are migrating to EMIS Web during the 2025-26 contract year, on a DHCW-led programme. The migration affects what patients can do through the NHS Wales App with your practice — repeat prescriptions, online consultations and record access all have to be reconnected to the new clinical system. Patients tend to notice. Reception tends to notice harder.

Our admin tool lets you stage two versions of the online-services page — your pre-migration message ("Order prescriptions via the App"), and your go-live message ("Apologies, prescription ordering temporarily by phone while we move systems"), and your post-migration message ("Back online — order via the App"). You set the switch dates. Patients see one consistent message at any moment rather than a half-updated site.

What we put on your online-services page

NHS Wales App: correct App Store / Play Store links, correct DHCW download artwork, a 60-word plain-English explainer of what works today, and a short "what's coming" note that we keep updated when DHCW rolls out new features. Repeat prescriptions: clear instructions for both App and offline routes (phone, pharmacy nomination, paper). Online consultation: link to your Health Board's chosen platform if you use one, or a clear "we don't offer that yet" honesty line if you don't. Registration: the Health-Board-supplied route — not the English "Register with a GP surgery" service, which doesn't apply in Wales. Out of hours: 111 Wales, not NHS 111. Same dial, different web property.

Cymraeg by default

Every online-services page is built in both Cymraeg and English. The NHS Wales App content, the registration explainer, the prescription instructions and the 111 Wales signposting all exist as a full Welsh mirror, professionally translated and reviewed by a Welsh-speaking practising NHS GP. Welsh-speaking patients searching for "ap GIG Cymru" land on the Welsh page; English-speaking patients searching for "NHS Wales App" land on the English page. No translation widget.

Frequently asked questions

Was My Health Online really decommissioned?

Yes. Digital Health and Care Wales (DHCW) confirmed the decommissioning of My Health Online for most Welsh GP practices by 31 March 2024. Functionality moved to the NHS Wales App. A small number of practices remained on legacy integrations for longer transition windows, but the strategic direction has been clear since 2023: NHS Wales App is the patient-facing channel.

Why does it matter if our website still links to My Health Online?

Patients arrive at a dead end. Either the link returns a service-not-available page, or they create an account they cannot use. Reception phones ring. The website looks neglected, which patients pattern-match to the wider service. Inspections by HIW have started commenting on out-of-date digital signposting. The fix is a five-minute admin change for a properly maintained site — and zero work on yours if your provider handles it.

Is the NHS Wales App the same as the NHS App in England?

No — and that catches a lot of people. The NHS Wales App is built and run by Digital Health and Care Wales. The NHS App (England) is built and run by NHS England. They are different products, with different download links, different identity checks and different feature sets. A Welsh patient does not use the English NHS App. A Welsh GP website that signposts the NHS App rather than the NHS Wales App is wrong.

Does the NHS Wales App work with our clinical system?

It depends on your clinical system and integration status. NHS Wales App integration is managed by DHCW. Vision practices have been on the App roadmap since 2023; the Vision-to-EMIS migration during 2025-26 may affect timing for individual practices. The pragmatic answer: signpost the NHS Wales App on your website with a short explanation of what works today and what is coming, and update the explanation as DHCW rolls out new features.

Will the Vision to EMIS migration affect what we put on our website?

Yes — temporarily. During the migration window your prescription-ordering route, repeat-medication path and any clinical-system-branded patient features may change. Our admin tool stages two versions of the relevant pages (pre-migration and post-migration) and switches them on the date you confirm with DHCW. Patients see one consistent message rather than a half-updated site.