Select committee: Health and Social Care Committee
Conclusion 2
Eighth Report - Digital transformation in the NHS
Published 30 Jun 2023
Paragraph 27
Addressed to Department of Health and Social Care
Health and Social Care Committee Digital transformation in the NHS All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Conclusion (the committee's words)
The pandemic provided a unique incentive to download the NHS App, because it hosted the Covid-19 pass. The new version of the App should bring benefits in terms of functionality, integration and personalisation, but it will require people to download it anew. The Department and NHS England announced improvements to the range of services available via the App in May 2023, but they need to ensure that people use them. The Department and NHS England therefore need to demonstrate the continued value of the App, particularly to existing users, otherwise they may increase functionality while decreasing the number of sign-ups.
From: Health and Social Care Committee, Eighth Report - Digital transformation in the NHS (HC 223), paragraph 27, 30 June 2023
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 6 September 2023 (deadline 30 August 2023).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government states that it "largely agree[s] with the Committee's recommendations" and that its current package of work is "already delivering" on the areas highlighted.
- On the NHS App, it points to a roadmap published quarterly on the NHS England website and says a range of promotional activity is "underway over the coming months".
- On interoperability, final publication of the standards strategy is "expected in Winter 2023", and its priority for the coming year is a national federated network of Shared Care Records.
- On DDaT pay, it does not commit to the DDaT Pay Framework. It says it is "working to improve recruitment and retention", including a review of pay measures, and that "the solution requires a broader approach" via an upcoming National Digital Workforce Plan.
- On an accreditation scheme for third-party apps, it notes DTAC "in itself is not an accreditation scheme" and says a directory of products meeting DTAC standards "is planned for late 2023/24".