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 he...

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 uns Type: conclusion | Number: 14 | Paragraph: 83 | Response status: partially_accepted Government response: In 2021 NHSX, as part of NHS England closed the NHS Apps library and took a policy decision, in conjunction with the Department of Health and Social Care, that the assessment and accreditation of digital health technologies and health apps sh