In order to create a truly digital NHS, patients Since launching in April 2017, it’s gone on are going to have a key role in protecting their to have more than a million visits and is own health, choosing appropriate treatments currently home to 74 health-related apps and managing their long-term conditions. covering a range of topics from mental health NHS Digital is working hard to to pregnancy. Every app and digital transform the way that people tool published on the Apps Library experience the NHS, by has been reviewed by experts There a designing digital health to provide reassurance to re current tools and services users that they are safe and ly around 330,00 that connect them secure and can be used to 0 to the information help improve health and worldw health apps id and services they well-being outcomes. e , som which a need, when they In what is a very crowded re very e of need them. marketplace, we’re trying good, but a lo t of the One of the to help patients choose the m remain ways this is being best app for their condition rather achieved is through by saying that ‘these apps poor the NHS Apps Library, have been assessed to a high which houses a range standard and are OK to use’. of digital tools offering We’re sponsored by NHS England personalised advice, self-care through their Empower the Person and signposts to health services. programme and our aim is to help patients and citizens to take more control over their What is the NHS Apps Library? own care by creating a tailored healthcare The NHS Apps Library brings together all journey, which is a key part of the Secretary the apps and digital tools that have been of State’s tech vision for the future. assessed by the NHS. Its purpose is to help users find quality products from the wide selection available on the market.
Issue 19.2 | HEALTH BUSINESS MAGAZINE
Written by Andy Smith
A key focus in the government’s Long Term Plan for the NHS is to empower patients through the use of digital technology, says Andy Smith, programme head at NHS Digital
Assessing the suitability of the apps All apps applying to feature on the NHS Apps Library must be assessed against our Digital Assessment Questionnaire (or the DAQ as we call it). The DAQ was set up as a unique cross-body initiative – with the Department of Health & Social Care, NHS England, Public Health England, NICE and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency all sharing their areas of expertise and feeding into what’s now an extremely comprehensive question set. Throughout the questionnaire we’re looking at risk and evidence of effectiveness, so we’re asking a whole host of questions like: ‘does the app really do what it says on the tin?’ and ‘does it meet our security standards?’ If patients are sharing their personal data, they need to be absolutely certain that their data is secure. If you think of every app assessment as being like a journey, you’ve got lots of different apps with different standards and different risks. We’ve got one called Brush DJ, for example, which is really low risk. You download it to your phone and you give it permission to access your music. It then plays music for two minutes, so a child knows how long to brush their teeth; giving a countdown when there’s 20 seconds left. It doesn’t access any personal data and it doesn’t store any personal information. E
Technology
Transforming the way people experience the NHS
Up to now, 374 apps have applied to be featured on the NHS Apps Library and 171 are currently going through the assessment process. The words most searched for are ‘anxiety and stress’. We also have quite a few who are looking for support with diabetes and pregnancy but coping with mental health is certainly the most frequent search request.
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