Keir Starmer claimed the digital service will become an ‘indispensable part of life’ for Britons

Veteran broadcaster Alastair Stewart has told GB News that the NHS App is “not fit for purpose”, as he expressed his concerns for Labour’s reform of the health service.

Announcing a new 10-year plan today, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer declared the reforms are “about fairness” for everyone.

 

Starmer said: “Millions of people across Britain no longer feel that they get a fair deal, and it’s starting to affect the pride, the hope, the optimism that they have in this great country, and our job is to change that.

“In 10 years’ time, when this plan has run its course, I want people to say that this was the moment, this was the Government, that secured those values for the future.”

Keir Starmer, Alastair Stewart

Alastair Stewart has criticised Keir Starmer’s NHS app reform

PA / GB News

Announcing a refurb of the NHS app, Starmer claimed the digital service will become an “indispensable part of life” for Britons.

Delivering his verdict, Alastair Stewart told Nigel Farage that the idea that the app is for everyone is “nonsense”.

He stated: “Well, it would be wonderful if it were true, but as we got used to with this Labour Government, if you scratch the surface a little bit, the assertion that this is a plan for everyone is patently a nonsense.

“Because if, like me, hundreds of thousands of people who have either vascular dementia or Alzheimer’s, any form of dementia, the app is simply not fit for purpose.”

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\u200bSir Keir Starmer speaking in East London

Sir Keir Starmer announced Labour’s 10-year plan for the NHS in London today

GB NEWS

Stewart added: “First of all, you have to put in your email address, then you have to put in a password, and if you get it slightly wrong and think, oh, hang on a moment, it’s not sausages and apples, it’s carrots and cabbages and you want to quickly change it so you can carry on, it’s terribly complicated.

“And if you’ve got dementia or if you’re slightly older, sometimes you get digital problems, you get a letter wrong or a number in the wrong place, and you cannot get hold of the prescriptions, you cannot look at your appointments record, it’s just inaccessible.”

Criticising Labour’s plan further, Stewart told GB News that they cannot simply “duplicate” specialist doctors in hospitals in favour of digital services.

He explained: “My brain consultant, my dementia consultant and my cardiologist are based at the big general hospital. They’re not going to duplicate them in our local setup, nor should they, so it simply isn’t a plan for everyone.

Alastair Stewart

Stewart told GB News that the plan is ‘not for everyone’ as it was sold by Labour

GB News

“Not everyone’s got a smartphone, not everybody has 24 hour, seven days a week perfect Wi-Fi and broadband. Also, people don’t particularly like the idea of sharing their email address and their date of birth online with the NHS.

“And if you have a problem with the NHS app, there’s no one to talk to. Surprise, surprise, you can’t get back in touch with them and say it isn’t working.”

Agreeing with Stewart, Nigel concluded: “I can imagine many people, as you say, tapping in a wrong letter or number on the passcode and getting into deep distress.”