Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve signposting to NHS approved apps to (a) support people to manage their own health and (b) provide evidence-based and validated advice.

The NHS Apps Library, launched in April 2017, helps people to make better choices about the digital health and care tools they use to support them in managing their own health and care in a safe and secure way. It now has over 70 apps and tools uploaded. Each of the apps goes through a rigorous and robust validation process that ensures that the apps meet the high standard of quality, safety and effectiveness that people expect from the National Health Service.

The NHS App is currently in development and is due to launch at the end of 2018, gradually rolling out to patients across the United Kingdom from December. This will enable people to have easier access to a range of health and care services as and when they need them. In future iterations of the app, we are looking to promote additional apps or digital services appropriate to an individual’s need, and which have been approved by the NHS Apps Library.