Select committee: Health and Social Care Committee

Recommendation 4

Eighth Report - Digital transformation in the NHS Published 30 Jun 2023 Paragraph 37 Addressed to Department of Health and Social Care
Recommendation (the committee's words)
We support the Hewitt review’s recommendation that the Department, NHS England and ICSs should work together to develop a standards framework to be adopted by all ICSs. This should improve interoperability and data sharing within and between systems. This should include working closely with sectors that could feed into shared records in the future, including pharmacy, mental health and community health, to ensure that what is put in place meets their needs.

From: Health and Social Care Committee, Eighth Report - Digital transformation in the NHS (HC 223), paragraph 37, 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".

Read the government's response ↗ Report an error