The nationals this week highlighted ORCHA’s research into the quality of health and care apps.

Health app usage has boomed by 25% since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic – equivalent to an extra five million downloads every day. But research shows that only around 20% of these apps are safe, secure, and meet clinical standards.

With approximately 370,000 health and care apps available online, it can be difficult to sort those that can be trusted as safe to use, from those that may potentially be harmful. ORCHA’s independent Review evaluates digital health solutions against 350+ criteria to determine their quality assurance. Reviewed, quality assured apps are distributed via ORCHA’s Digital Health Libraries, so that patients and professionals have transparency as to which health and care apps are safe to use.

Read more in the coverage below:

• The Telegraph – ‘Health apps actually bad for your health, says NHS’
• The Sunday Telegraph – ‘Health apps “not fit for purpose and can do harm”‘
• The Times – ‘Health warning on risks of medical apps’
• The Daily Mail Online – ‘Four out of five health and medical apps are “so bad they could put patients at risk”, NHS-backed review finds’
• The Daily Mail – ‘Four in five health apps “so bad they could put patients at risk”‘

To find quality assured digital health solutions, visit ORCHA’s App Library.

We’re delighted to be featured in the Department for International Trade’s (DIT) ‘The First 100’ Digital Health Playbook among some of the UK’s most impressive digital health innovators.

The campaign, launched by the DIT, articulates the exportable strengths that the UK has in healthtech. It showcases those that stand out for being tried and tested, and, most importantly, making a difference across one of the most complex health systems in the world, during its most challenging time.

The picture of talent and innovation in the UK is a fast evolving one, with new pioneers emerging daily. Through ‘The First 100 Playbook’, the DIT hopes to reach out to those who are not just leaders in their field, but are willing to find new frontiers to make an impact.

The DIT has British Innovators who are ready to go global and connect with the ever expanding worldwide opportunity. Healthcare UK, part of the Department for International Trade, has invested significant effort, alongside partners, to identify, engage with and showcase some of the UK’s leading talent.

Digital Health is rightly seen as the answer to many of the challenges facing global healthcare. The role of digital technology in realising the dream of accessible, affordable and sustainable care has grown across the entire range of health economies in not only serving current needs, but in building the basis for the healthcare of the future: personalised, digital by default, and truly patient centric.

The innovations in the Playbook can offer support to healthcare in a variety of ways, from reporting data and using AI, pre-assessment, diagnostics and systems management, to managing staff at scale and collaborating. There are solutions to support people at home with self-care apps and remote monitoring and consultation. And see how future tech may transform healthcare.

Learn more about the services ORCHA offers national health bodies across the world here.

Mental health and stress management is one of the biggest challenges to the future of global healthcare, with mounting evidence that mental health problems have become even more prevalent since the pandemic. During lockdown, services turned to digital, switching from in-person help to a range of digital services, such as patient-to-clinician platforms, digitally-enabled treatments, mental health and wellbeing apps, chatbots and social support networks. But it can be difficult to establish which digital technologies for mental health are suitable and safe to use.

In this Digimed TV Broadcast, ORCHA’s Business Development Director, George Kowalski, discusses how digital technologies can address some of these needs and challenges without placing additional burdens on public health services and/or other health stakeholders. George also looks at the quality of health and care apps for mental health, and explains how ORCHA’s services provide quality assurance to health and care organisations and professionals. The Digimed TV guests also share their experiences of a variety of solutions, ranging from mobile phone applications and wearables, to immersive experiences linked to biometric feedback.

Click here to listen to George’s video presentation from 45:31.

Derbyshire County Council has joined forces with ORCHA, the Organisation for the Review of Care and Health Apps, on an ambitious long-term project to embed the use of health apps and online tools into its services.

A key part of this is the creation of a health apps library which ensures residents have access to a wide range of high-quality, quality checked, apps to help with their health and wellbeing.

The library forms part of Derbyshire County Council’s healthy lifestyles service Live Life Better Derbyshire.

Live Life Better Derbyshire is a free service which offers stop smoking, weight management and physical activity support.

As well as providing a source of trusted apps to the 800,000 residents of Derbyshire, the council has purchased 100 ORCHA Pro Accounts for staff members.

These accounts let staff in council teams to directly recommend apps, via text and email, to their clients.

Derbyshire County Council’s Director of Public Health, Dean Wallace, said:

“Derbyshire has always been proactive when it comes to public health and we see huge benefits coming from health apps.

“While Derbyshire County Council commissions a diverse range of accessible public health services, digital health apps can provide information and support when traditional support services may not be available.

“Lockdown could prove detrimental to some people’s health. Especially people who may have problems with drinking or smoking.

“Being able to recommend an app if they are unwilling, or unable, to use our services could offer significant benefits to their health and wellbeing.

“We are taking it slowly but we want digital health to become another health and wellbeing tool, and to help normalise its use for people.”

Former NHS clinician and founding CEO of ORCHA, Liz Ashall-Payne, said:

“There are lots of apps and online tools that promise to help with your health and wellbeing however it can be difficult to know which ones to trust when you are browsing through Google Play or Apple app stores.

“The app library we have built with the Derbyshire team will open up the widest possible range of top-quality tools, each of which has been rigorously reviewed against 350 tough standards, including elements of the NICE framework.

“It’s fantastic to be working with the forward-thinking Derbyshire team and we’ll be there to support with their ambitious plans every step of the way.”

Click here to access the Derbyshire ORCHA app library.