Select committee: Health and Social Care Committee
Conclusion 14
Eighth Report - Digital transformation in the NHS
Published 30 Jun 2023
Paragraph 83
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)
Digital transformation can offer people more choice and control over their healthcare, and empower them to manage their health, and apps offer an accessible starting point for many. But whether peoples’ experiences with digital healthcare are positive depends in large part on whether they use an appropriate product. The Department and NHS England lack a systematic, consistent way of assessing and demonstrating whether a third-party health app reaches the necessary quality standards, and we heard that a majority of health apps currently available fail on aspects including clinical efficacy, security and cost. This is unacceptable: using an unsuitable health product can affect people’s health, and might make people less likely to opt for digital channels in future.
From: Health and Social Care Committee, Eighth Report - Digital transformation in the NHS (HC 223), paragraph 83, 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".