“Now is the time for everyone to stop non-essential contact and travel.” The year that followed the Prime Minister’s decision to place the UK in lockdown measures has transformed the role of digital health in our lives and NHS services.
There has been an explosion in the demand for digital health. Five million health apps are downloaded every day. But as 80% do not meet NHS standards, over the past 12 months around 1.5bn apps that do not meet standards have been downloaded.
The past year has also seen the rapid launch of new apps and the advancement of much needed tools, especially when remote care was needed. For example, there are now more than 750 apps to help inform, track or gather COVID-19 data,1 more than 858,000 people downloaded the Couch to 5K app in 2Q20 – a 92% increase over 2019.2 The world’s 10 largest English-language mental wellness apps saw 10 million downloads in April 2020,3 and who didn’t appreciate Matthew McConaughey and Harry Styles’ collaboration with the Calm meditation app?
To help people access safe and reliable apps remotely, within 38 days from lockdown, ORCHA launched its free COVID-19 App Library available to all NHS and care staff. The NHS also rapidly stepped in to embed safe app libraries into services. An ORCHA App Library was part of the national COVID-19 response in Northern Ireland, bespoke libraries were also launched by the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy and the British Dietetic Society for their members. CCGs and Trusts in 70% of NHS regions now have an ORCHA app library in place, making safe and effective health apps easy to find.
Commenting on Northern Ireland’s app library, Robin Swann, Health Minister, Northern Ireland announced in March:
“We are now able to support people to look after their mental health and this app library provides a one stop shop where the public can access safe and secure apps to help them during the pandemic.”
Cathy Connolly, CEO, Care Merseyside recently reported:
“Apps have been a lifeline to the people we support, particularly during COVID-19. Apps have given the charity a different way we can provide support to people. It has enabled us to give help to people with a wide range of challenges, recommending apps such as Sidekick to help with weight management to Sleepio, to help people to sleep better.”
As we look forward to a return to life outside of lockdown restrictions, we hope that not everything returns to pre-COVID. We hope that:
We look forward to the next 365 days.
Sources:
(1) https://orchahealth.com/health-apps-for-long-covid-self-management-report/
(3) https://sensortower.com/blog/top-mental-wellness-apps-april-2020-downloads
Amongst the 3.9 million confirmed COVID-19 cases in the UK to date, it is estimated that around one in five people experience symptoms that last for five weeks or longer, and one in ten have symptoms that last for twelve weeks or longer.
Termed long COVID, people report a myriad of symptoms including chronic fatigue, breathlessness, loss of sense of smell, depression and concentration difficulties. Already totalling an estimated 186,000 people, long COVID will bring mounting pressure on primary care services.
Within its COVID-19 rapid guideline for managing the long-term effects of COVID-19, NICE recommends health apps as part of giving advice and information on self-management.
Click on the PDF icon below to download the Long COVID Self-Management Report. Discover:
If you are experiencing any issues with downloading the report, or want to know more, please get in touch with us at hello@orcha.co.uk or on +44 (0) 1925 606542
A high proportion of people in the UK are living with overweight or obesity, increasing their risk of severe illness and death from COVID-19. Meanwhile, social distancing and self-isolation impact face-to-face weight management services.
The use of technology is a good answer to providing services, but how can we provide evidence-based care, combat misinformation and ensure a rapid roll out of technology that is safe, effective and does not put the public at risk of harm?
Our report, developed with The Association of UK Dietitians (BDA), outlines the situation and shares advice and best practice on how to embed digital health in weight management services.
Click on the PDF icon below to download the Digital in Weight Management Services Report. Discover:
If you are experiencing any issues with downloading the report, or want to know more, please get in touch with us at hello@orcha.co.uk or on +44 (0) 1925 606542
2020 saw health and care services accelerate digital adoption plans, as they established new ways to deliver services. But what trends emerged and what is predicted for the latest national lockdown and the rest of 2021?
As ORCHA supplies health app libraries to 50% of NHS England regions and health bodies in eleven countries across the world, we have unique insight. Each quarter since March 2020, we have shared our findings, revealing the needs and behaviours of the public and health professionals.
Click on the PDF icon below to download the COVID-19: Digital Health Trends & 2021 Opportunities Report, where we look back over 2020 and look ahead to 2021. Discover:
If you are experiencing any issues with downloading the report, or want to know more, please get in touch with us at hello@orcha.co.uk or on +44 (0) 1925 606542
