ORCHA Health proudly announces the renewal of its Cyber Essentials certification, reaffirming its ongoing commitment to robust cybersecurity practices.
The Cyber Essentials certification is a UK government-backed scheme designed to help organisations protect themselves against common online threats. This renewal underscores ORCHA Health’s dedication to continuously safeguarding its systems, data, and clients from cyber threats.
“Renewing the Cyber Essentials certification is a testament to our enduring commitment to cybersecurity,” Liz Ashall-Payne, Founding CEO of ORCHA Health. “It demonstrates our ongoing dedication to protecting the sensitive information entrusted to us by our clients and partners, and our proactive approach to maintaining the highest standards in cybersecurity.”
The renewal process involved a thorough re-evaluation of ORCHA Health’s cybersecurity measures, including assessments of the company’s firewall configuration, secure configuration of systems, user access control, malware protection, and patch management. By meeting the stringent requirements of the Cyber Essentials scheme once again, ORCHA Health has proven its continued capability to defend against a wide range of cyber-attacks.
This renewal not only enhances ORCHA Health’s reputation as a trusted provider of digital health solutions but also provides reassurance to clients and stakeholders about the company’s stringent and evolving security protocols. With the increasing prevalence of cyber threats, maintaining the Cyber Essentials certification is a crucial step in ensuring the ongoing integrity and security of ORCHA Health’s digital health services.
ORCHA Health remains committed to continuous improvement and will regularly review and update its cybersecurity measures to stay ahead of emerging threats and best practices in the industry. The company looks forward to leveraging this renewed certification to further strengthen its cybersecurity posture and build greater trust with its clients and partners.
For more information about ORCHA Health, please visit https://www.orchahealth.com or contact hello@orchahealth.com.
Founded in 2015, ORCHA (the Organisation for the Review of Care and Health Apps) has grown rapidly to become the world’s leading health app evaluation and distribution organisation. Its mission is to get safe, effective healthcare to millions more people across the globe by harnessing digital technology.
With a strong focus on quality, innovation and customer satisfaction, ORCHA Health works extensively with the NHS, charities and social care providers in the UK, digital health suppliers, and with 11 other governments globally.
Committed to excellence and integrity, ORCHA Health conducts reviews on health apps, measuring each against 350 tough standards and creates app libraries which health and care staff can use as a source of the highest quality digital health support.
ORCHA Health proudly announces it has received certification to ISO 9001:2015 and ISO/IEC 27001:2022 standards, reinforcing its commitment to excellence and security.
The ISO 9001:2015 certification is an internationally recognised standard for quality management systems. It demonstrates ORCHA Health’s dedication to consistently providing products and services that meet customer and regulatory requirements, enhancing customer satisfaction through effective system application and continual improvement.
In addition to this achievement, ORCHA Health has also been awarded the ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certification. This certification highlights the company’s commitment to maintaining and improving an effective information security management system (ISMS). By achieving ISO/IEC 27001:2022, ORCHA Health assures its clients and stakeholders of its robust security protocols to protect sensitive information and mitigate risks associated with data breaches and cyber threats.
“Receiving both the ISO 9001 and ISO 27001 certifications is a testament to our team’s hard work and dedication to maintaining the highest standards in quality and security,” said Liz Ashall-Payne, Founding CEO of ORCHA Health. “These certifications not only validate our processes but also reflect our commitment to our clients and partners, ensuring we deliver the best possible innovative solutions while safeguarding their information.”
The certification process involved a rigorous evaluation of ORCHA Health’s management systems, including comprehensive audits by UKAS accredited external bodies. The company underwent thorough assessments of its quality management procedures and information security practices to ensure compliance with the stringent requirements of both standards.
With these certifications, ORCHA Health joins an elite group of organisations worldwide that have demonstrated excellence in both quality management and information security. This dual achievement positions the company as a trusted and reliable partner, capable of delivering superior products and services while maintaining the highest levels of information security.
ORCHA Health remains committed to continual improvement and will regularly review and update its management systems to align with the evolving standards and best practices in the industry. The company looks forward to leveraging these certifications to further enhance its operational efficiency, customer satisfaction, and competitive edge.
For more information about ORCHA Health, please visit https://www.orchahealth.com or contact hello@orchahealth.com.
Founded in 2015, ORCHA (the Organisation for the Review of Care and Health Apps) has grown rapidly to become the world’s leading health app evaluation and distribution organisation. Its mission is to get safe, effective healthcare to millions more people across the globe by harnessing digital technology.
With a strong focus on quality, innovation and customer satisfaction, ORCHA Health works extensively with the NHS, charities and social care providers in the UK, digital health suppliers, and with 11 other governments globally.
Committed to excellence and integrity, ORCHA Health conducts reviews on health apps, measuring each against 350 tough standards and creates app libraries which health and care staff can use as a source of the highest quality digital health support.
Background
Holly Health, a digital health and wellbeing coaching tool, has been instrumental in supporting patients within primary care networks in changing behaviours and habits sustainably. By leveraging digital tools, Holly Health aims to reduce the burden on clinical teams and healthcare costs while empowering individuals to take charge of their health.
Challenge
Chronic conditions contribute significantly to NHS pressures, with many being preventable through lifestyle changes. Holly Health sought to address this challenge by providing affordable, personalised health and wellbeing support via an intuitive and engaging app.
Solution
Holly Health is a personalised, digital health coaching app, designed to support people to develop sustainable health behaviours, aiming to reduce the risk of developing chronic diseases.
Supporting their work, Holly Health partnered with ORCHA, a leading company specialising in assessing and validating digital health technologies, to ensure compliance and trust in their product. Through rigorous evaluation and validation processes, ORCHA helped Holly Health establish credibility and reliability, essential factors in the adoption of digital health solutions.
Outcome
Primary care networks utilising Holly Health’s digital coaching tool have witnessed remarkable results. Data analysis revealed a reduction in GP appointments among users, with significant improvements in health outcomes. Notably, patients with conditions like Type 2 diabetes and Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease experienced fewer appointments per year, showcasing the effectiveness of the digital tool in managing chronic conditions.
Impact
Holly Health has facilitated the delivery of personalised support to over 35,000 individuals across more than 180 NHS primary care partnerships. In regions like the Scottish Ayrshire area, where the service was deployed, significant improvements in mental wellbeing and exercise levels were observed among users.
Testimonials
Alexia Pellowe, Clinical Director at NHS Ayrshire & Arran, emphasised the meaningful impact of Holly Health’s approach, stating, “It’s encouraging to see change start to happen as we make meaningful person-centred gains with patient outcomes along with demonstrating cost efficiencies.”
Steve Woodford, Non-Executive Director, NHS England, hailed Holly Health as an exemplar of innovation essential for empowering individuals to maintain well-being proactively.
Future Outlook
With a focus on prevention and early intervention, Holly Health aims to further alleviate long-term healthcare pressures through scalable digital solutions. By enabling individuals to manage their health effectively, Holly Health is poised to drive positive health outcomes and contribute to the sustainability of healthcare systems.
Situation
Since 2022, our work within Rochdale place has been primarily focused on direct to population activities supporting long term conditions, and mental health support across the primary care health system. The direct to population approaches have been delivered through a combination of E-comms via text batching from GP surgeries, and use of carefully curated ‘landing pages’ to target specific cohorts within Rochdale place.
Within the long-term condition focus, diabetes and diabetes prevention have been a specific target group for Rochdale place, given the prevalence of 8.8% within the local adult population against a national average of 7.3% (based on NHS Quality Outcome Framework 2021/22).
Solution
To cater to the needs of the population, we curated a collection of digital health apps designed to address various health and wellness requirements associated with diabetes. The apps underwent a thorough selection process with guidance from our clinical team, who pinpointed those most beneficial for empowering individuals to self-manage aspects of their condition.
After finalising the app selection, we generated text content with direct links to the chosen apps. Collaborating with Primary Care Networks throughout Rochdale, we subsequently distributed these texts directly to individuals identified as having diabetes.
Results
Over the period May 2023 to October 2023, utilising the text-batch campaign, we saw over 2,400 downloads achieved, equivalent to 400 apps per month. This equates to 11% of the targeted population. If this was extrapolated across a full-year effect (circa.4,800 Downloads), we would reach 23% of those adults identified in the prevalence data (circa 21,000 adults) who either have been diagnosed with diabetes or are at a pre-diabetic stage.
Of note, is the evidence-based impact and benefit of use of the range of Apps deployed during these campaigns for diabetic and pre-diabetic patients. Over a period of five months, the three most downloaded diabetes apps were identified. Among them, the Low Carb Programme, which has been proven to improve diabetes management. Studies have shown that the app helps reduce HBA1c levels to less than 6.5% across the research group. After using the Low Carb Programme for a year, the number of participants reporting an HBA1c level of less than 6.5% increased from 25.7% to 50.3%.
Links to Research
In research that ORCHA has previously conducted it was found that blood glucose levels amongst those with Type 2 Diabetes can be reduced by up to 1.1% when patients use digital health tools alongside their standard medication.
Patients with Type 1 Diabetes can reduce their blood sugar (HbA1c), on average, by 0.5%. In 21 out of the 25 trials, patients using digital health tools to supplement their care achieved better HbA1c results. In 20 out of the 25 trials, there were additional reported reductions in cholesterol levels, blood pressure and Body Mass Index. Amongst those with Type 2 Diabetes, the improvements in blood sugar levels were similar to the benefits patients receive when using Metformin, a commonly used medicine to lower blood sugar levels which is often the first line of treatment for the condition.
Although researchers expect a drop-out rate of 40% when patients trial digital tools, there were lower drop-out rates when the people with diabetes used them, at 20%. In the trials, the average duration of diabetes for those using digital health was 12.49 years and the average age was 52.
If you would like to read more information about this study, click the link: www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcdhc.2022.936752/full
If you would like to visit the campaign page or browse our library of health apps please visit: ourrochdale.orchahealth.com/en-GB