Representatives from Sweden’s key health organisations visited NHS Digital this week to share knowledge and experience of the apps and digital healthcare landscape.
The delegation came from Sweden’s public-sector organisations including the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions, the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs, the Medical Products Agency and the Swedish eHealth Agency.
They spent two days with NHS Digital to find out more about the apps and wearables programme, and to discuss how we have approached the process for developing the first set of nationally approved standards for health and care apps.
James Hawkins, NHS Digital said: “We were delighted to welcome our colleagues from Sweden, to share the important work our organisation is doing to ensure patients have access to safe, trusted digital healthcare tools.
“As we develop a consistent, national set of standards and continue to expand our support offer for industry, which the world is, indeed, watching. Not only will we be sharing our own learning, but it is a fantastic opportunity to understand what the challenges are in this area from our Swedish counterparts.”
Following their visit, the Swedish delegation issued a statement which said: “We have really enjoyed our visit. The interest in this trip was overwhelming, and we ended up being a group of 18 people from nine different organisations. We are entering a new stage in Sweden, as we seek to realize our vision for 2025, and we were thrilled to get the opportunity to learn from the processes and achievements made by our international colleagues.”
The apps and wearables team is currently working on a number of projects to develop the apps assessment process and support developers through developer.nhs.uk. The NHS Apps Library, which is currently in beta, includes more than 40 apps and over time will grow to include many more trusted digital tools.
