Select committee: Health and Social Care Committee
Recommendation 15
Eighth Report - Digital transformation in the NHS
Published 30 Jun 2023
Paragraph 84
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 ↗
Recommendation (the committee's words)
The Department and NHS England should work together to introduce a more comprehensive accreditation scheme for third-party healthcare apps, in addition to the current approach of recommending specific apps on some nhs.uk webpages. Within this scheme it should be easy for people to check whether a healthcare app that they are using or considering comes recommended by the NHS. This scheme should be supported by publicity and communications that both promote the benefits of digital healthcare and explain the risks of using unaccredited apps, providing a clear steer on why using an accredited product matters and where to find them.
From: Health and Social Care Committee, Eighth Report - Digital transformation in the NHS (HC 223), paragraph 84, 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".