Pagers will be banned from the NHS within the next three years, the health secretary has announced.

Matt Hancock says the devices, which were among the first systems to transmit personal text messages, must be phased out by the end of 2021.

The NHS uses 130,000 pagers at a cost of around £6.6m a year.

Some health services have continued to use them because they find them convenient.

The Guardian reported last year that London Ambulance Service often sends the same message to members of staff by pager and phone to make sure they have received it.


But the devices have become increasingly expensive as the majority of people now use mobile phones for urgent communication.

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Mr Hancock said: "Every day, our wonderful NHS staff work incredibly hard in what can be challenging and high-pressured environments.

"The last thing they need are the frustrations of having to deal with outdated technology - they deserve the very best equipment to help them do their jobs.

"We have to get the basics right, like having computers that work and getting rid of archaic technology like pagers and fax machines.

"Email and mobile phones are a more secure, quicker and cheaper way to communicate which allow doctors and nurses to spend more time caring for patients rather than having to work round outdated kit."

Mr Hancock wants staff to switch to using mobile phones and apps in a bid to cut costs and improve communication.

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Pagers only offer one-way communication, which means doctors are often unaware how urgent a request is and find it harder to prioritise which patients to treat first.

Because mobile phone companies have stopped supporting pagers, a single device can now cost up to £400.

A number of apps have sprung up which replicate pagers.

Medic Bleeps, which is comparable to WhatsApp, saved junior doctors 48 minutes per shift and nurses 21 minutes on average during a 2017 pilot project at West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust, PA reported.

NHS trusts have been told they will be allowed to keep some pagers for emergency situations, such as when wifi fails.

It comes after Mr Hancock's drive to eradicate fax machines was criticised, as the communication system is less prone to hacking and often allows a doctor to rapidly issue prescriptions at a distance in a way that cannot easily be securely replicated by email.