New report from TBI calls on government to turbocharge development of the NHS App to deliver a 21st-century health system.
TBI says that the government have set the right ambitions for the App in the 10 Year Plan for Health, but there are still areas where it doesn’t go far enough and needs more careful thought on design, build and procurement.
The NHS at a Crossroads: The App That Can Transform Britain’s Health lays out a clear delivery framework for accelerating the App’s development to establish it as world-class patient portal by the next election.
The NHS App holds the key to unlocking the future of healthcare delivery – but only if radically reimagined and elevated to a national priority, according to the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change (TBI).
In a new report published today, The NHS at a Crossroads, TBI sets out a bold vision to transform the App into a personal health companion for millions – one that delivers proactive, preventative and patient-centred care.
Public satisfaction with the NHS at an historic low. People want radical, disruptive change and this government was elected to deliver it. The NHS App is the government’s most powerful digital lever to demonstrate delivery, but its full potential will only be realised with committed political leadership and focused investment. The recent abolition of NHS England means that government now has direct levers into the NHS to deliver on its policies, and it should take full advantage of this.
TBI argue that while there’s a lot to commend in the government’s recently published 10 Year Plan for Health, especially the centrality of the NHS App, there are areas where the Plan doesn’t go far enough.
The NHS App needs to be relentlessly consumer focused, embrace private sector innovation, be more integrated with clinical pathways and link more explicitly with the planned Single Patient Record.
In this report, TBI sets out a ten-point plan to deliver the NHS App as a world-class patient portal by the next election:
1. Establishing the Right Governance and Policy for Success
Make the NHS App a national priority – personally championed by the Prime Minister.
Publish a delivery roadmap.
Secure a stable, ringfenced funding for the App.
Revise procurement of the App.
2. Building National Technical Architecture
Explicitly align delivery of the NHS App with the Single Patient Record.
Develop an NHS Digital ID for each citizen.
Develop core features in-house.
Set, communicate and enforce clear data standards for suppliers.
3. Driving Innovation at Scale
Streamline the process for new features to scale.
Integrate digital services into national clinical pathways and curate a national prevention offer.
Dr Charlotte Refsum, Director of Health Policy at TBI said:
“The NHS App is at a critical juncture in its development. Decisions made now about its design, build and procurement will have a profound impact, not just on the success of the App, but on the success or otherwise of the NHS.
“The App is the government’s most powerful digital lever to drive disruption in healthcare. It is already on 40 million phones – now it needs to be on the top of the government’s agenda.
“This is the single biggest opportunity to transform how people experience healthcare in Britain. The government are on the right track, but they must go further and faster in their ambitions for the NHS App. It’s not just a digital upgrade – it’s a once-in-a-generation chance to reinvent the NHS for the modern era. If done right, by the end of this Parliament patient’s experiences will be vastly different to today.”