Hi, I’m Katie from the Wellbeing Enterprises team, and I’m absolutely thrilled to have reached a milestone of over 1,000 digital health recommendations! It’s been such a rewarding journey, and I want to take a moment to reflect on why recommending health apps as part of our wellbeing plans has truly been a game changer for the people we support—and for me, personally.
When I first started using ORCHA (the Organisation for the Review of Care and Health Apps), I saw it as a great tool to complement and enhance the support we offer. But I couldn’t have predicted just how impactful it would be. To date, 289 of the apps I’ve recommended have been downloaded—which means that nearly 300 people have taken a proactive step toward improving their health and wellbeing. That’s incredible!
Empowerment Through Choice
One of the most powerful things about recommending digital health apps is the way it puts control back into the hands of individuals. Whether it’s managing anxiety, improving sleep, tracking physical activity, or learning mindfulness, these apps provide personalised, accessible tools that people can use on their own terms.
Meeting People Where They Are
While many people benefit from face-to-face support and traditional health programmes, some may prefer or need alternative forms of support that enhance and extend these options. Apps allow us to meet people where they are: on their phones, in their own time, and at their own pace. This flexibility is especially important for those with busy lives, mobility issues, or social anxiety.
A New Standard for Wellbeing
Reaching this milestone highlights a shift towards a more holistic understanding of health and wellbeing support. It’s never about replacing face-to-face care but combining the strengths of digital tools and human connection. Together, they form a more flexible, responsive, and inclusive approach, one that supports people in the ways that work best for them.
I’m incredibly proud to be the highest current user of ORCHA within our team and to help set the benchmark for what’s possible. But the real reward is knowing that these recommendations are changing lives—making people feel seen, supported, and equipped to take the next step toward a healthier future.
Thanks to Mike and the team at ORCHA for your kind words and continued support, and to my amazing colleagues at Wellbeing Enterprises for always championing innovation.
Here’s to the next 1,000!
– Katie
Community Wellbeing Officer, Wellbeing Enterprises CIC
Over the past few weeks, I’ve read the headlines and, like many of you, felt a real sense of unease:
These stories aren’t just news items—they’re reminders that while AI holds huge promise for healthcare, we’re still working out how to use it safely and responsibly. And they’re exactly why we at ORCHA, in partnership with Hartree, have been working so hard to build something practical: a way to properly assess AI tools used in health and care.
AI is already starting to shape the future of healthcare—from helping spot diseases earlier to making services more efficient. But with all this potential comes very real risk. If we’re not careful, we can roll out tools that aren’t properly tested, that misuse data, or that simply don’t work for everyone—especially those most in need.
Take the recent case of the Foresight model. It was trained on data from 57 million people. But the fact that GPs weren’t fully aware of how that data was being used caused the whole project to be paused. Trust was lost.
Then there’s the warning about AI translation apps. I completely understand why services might turn to them—they’re fast, easy, and cheap. But when we’re dealing with someone’s health, “good enough” just isn’t good enough. Miscommunication can have serious consequences.
This is exactly why we created the AI Assurance Designathon—a space where we brought people together from all sides: clinicians, developers, regulators, ethicists. It wasn’t about shiny tech or high-level policy talk. It was about asking the hard, practical questions:
And then we built a solution. A new AI Assurance Module—something structured, practical, and ready to use. A way to evaluate digital health tools that include AI, without making it so complicated that it becomes a blocker.
I’ve spent years working in and around health and care. I’ve seen how digital can change lives—but I’ve also seen the damage that can be done when tech is rushed, misunderstood, or not properly tested.
At ORCHA, our job has always been to help people find and use digital health tools they can trust. As more and more of those tools start to use AI, we have to raise the bar. Not just because it’s the right thing to do, but because if we don’t, people will stop trusting digital health altogether.
We can’t let that happen.
This work we’re doing with Hartree isn’t just about building a framework – it’s about building trust. And we’re going to keep working at it until the systems around AI in healthcare are as strong, fair, and safe as they need to be.
Let’s Chat
If you’re working with AI in health and care and want to know what’s safe, what’s effective, and how to manage the risk, let’s grab a coffee and chat.
I’ll be at Confed in Manchester next week – drop me a message, and let’s connect.
Because getting this right is something we all have a stake in.
– Liz Ashall-Payne
Founder, ORCHA
Over the past decade, digital health suppliers have set their sights on the potentially lucrative B2B2C (business-to-business-to-consumer) go-to-market strategy. The goal: secure reimbursement via healthcare systems and gain credibility through deployment in existing health infrastructure.
However, economic challenges, complex procurement and bureaucratic hurdles mean that widespread reimbursement hasn’t materialised as expected. These barriers have, in an increasing number of cases, led to innovations dropping the NHS-and, by extension, the UK market as a whole.
This is devastating, that the UK, spending over a quarter of a trillion pounds a year on health care, is being viewed by some as lacking the opportunity for health tech innovation to thrive!
At the same time, an undeniable shift has taken place—over 5 million consumers now download and purchase digital health apps every day. The demand is clear, and it’s coming directly from consumers who are actively searching for solutions to improve their health or overall well-being.
This presents an important question for digital health companies: Is the real opportunity in B2C (business-to-consumer) instead?
I spend a lot of my time speaking with innovators from across the digital health space, and having spoken with hundreds of digital health founders and innovators, most of whom had unique products, one thing that they all have in common? The desire for IMPACT. Everyone I speak to has an amazing story to tell about their product and the story behind it, as well as its potential to deliver positive impact to peoples health, they’re also all facing the same challenge.
The Challenge: Getting the Right Products to the Right People
While the consumer market is booming, visibility and distribution remain major challenges. With thousands of digital health products available, how can people find the safest and most effective ones? How can companies ensure their products reach those who need them most?
That’s where ORCHA comes in. For the past decade, we have worked alongside healthcare systems, charities, and industry partners to create distribution channels to ensure quality digital health solutions reach consumers. Underpinned by assurance, we give organisations and consumers the confidence that they are accessing the best and safest products.
Building Momentum with Key Distribution Partners
We’re seeing incredible results through our partnerships with Mind UK, Pharmacy2U and of course the NHS. By integrating assured digital health products into these trusted platforms, we’re making it easier than ever for people to find safe and effective solutions.
Take Mind UK as an example. Every day, tens of thousands of people visit the Mind website to access support with their mental health, and they can now discover and download Mind-assured digital health products, showcasing the power of trusted distribution channels in connecting consumers to the support that they need, whilst also highlighting the willingness of consumers to engage in proactive self-management.
The Future: A Call to Action
If you’re;
Why don’t we have a chat? Drop me an email at Jordan.Hawkings@ORCHAHealth.com
Written by Jordan Hawkings, Business Development Manager, ORCHA
DDM Health is a leading provider of NICE-recommended, NHS DTAC-approved digital health solutions. Its flagship platform, Gro Health, supports people to manage their physical and mental health through evidence-based behaviour change tools, co-produced clinical pathways and structured coaching. With a strong focus on health inequalities and underserved populations, Gro Health has been deployed across NHS pathways to support long-term condition management, mental wellbeing and healthy weight services.
Across the UK, growing numbers of people are facing long-term mental health challenges without timely access to effective support. Many of these individuals also live with comorbidities such as obesity, type 2 diabetes or cardiovascular risk factors. DDM recognised the urgent need to deliver integrated digital support to these communities and sought a credible, clinically-assured route to improve discoverability and adoption of their platform.
DDM Health partnered with Mind to list Gro Health on the Mind Digital Tool Library, a curated and trusted space helping users, carers and professionals find safe, evidence-based digital mental health tools.
The onboarding process involved clear guidance and supportive dialogue around information governance, clinical validation, and user accessibility. This enabled DDM Health to showcase Gro Health in a way that highlights its regulatory compliance, peer-reviewed evidence base and inclusive approach to health behaviour change.
Gro Health is now featured on the Mind Digital Tool Library and accessible to thousands of individuals seeking effective self-guided mental health support. The platform delivers:
In a separate eating disorder-focused pathway, outcomes included a 44% improvement in ED-15 scores, 42% increase in self-esteem, and a 49% reduction in binge episodes.
Gro Health has been shown to be effective across a wide range of clinical needs – from emotional eating and depression to sleep, anxiety and self-worth – and was recognised with the HSJ Award 2024 for Empowering Patients with Digital.
The partnership with Mind helps extend DDM Health’s impact to a broader audience of users and referrers seeking trusted digital tools. By improving visibility through the Mind Library, Gro Health is now better positioned to support underserved individuals – including those in socioeconomically deprived communities, ethnic minority groups, and people facing barriers to face-to-face services.
The collaboration reinforces both organisations’ shared commitment to reducing health inequalities through early intervention, prevention, and digital inclusion.
“Being listed on the Mind Library is a meaningful step in amplifying our reach and making mental health support more accessible. Mind is a trusted voice and our partnership helps ensure that our evidence-based digital platform can support those who might otherwise fall through the gaps.”
Arjun Panesar, CEO & Head of AI and Ethics at DDM Health and Honorary Associate Professor at Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick
With a focus on delivering personalised, scalable interventions, DDM Health plans to continue working with partners like Mind to strengthen its presence in digital mental health. The team is also expanding into targeted interventions for eating disorders, neurodivergent populations, and underserved women’s health communities – all with a commitment to evidence, inclusion and measurable outcomes.