NHSX has today announced it has received over 1,600 applications for its new tech fund to support the vulnerable during the COVID-19 outbreak and has provided a brief update on the contact tracing app it’s developing.
On the 23rd of March NHSX announced a new programme to call for innovators to apply for funding of up to £25k that can support the elderly, vulnerable and self-isolating during COVID-19.
Since the launch the unit has received 1,600 applications. In a blog post Matthew Gould, CEO of NHSX said “We had over 1600 applicants, and a number of providers have been selected covering a range of remote care, mental health and staffing and volunteering needs. We will be working with Academic Health Science Networks and others to test these innovations in local areas.”
Last week Matt Hancock announced a new contact tracing app was being developed, should you get symptoms of the virus, the app can anonymously alert anyone you may have been in close contact with and then advise them to self-isolate.
Hancock said “If you become unwell with the symptoms of coronavirus, you can securely tell this new NHS app and the app will then send an alert anonymously to other app users that you’ve been in significant contact with over the past few days, even before you had symptoms, so that they know and can act accordingly. All data will be handled according to the highest ethical and security standards, and would only be used for NHS care and research, and we won’t hold it any longer than it’s needed.”
“And as part of our commitment to transparency we’ll be publishing the source code, too.”
Gould addressed how the app will ensure information is secure and private, he said “NHSX is building a contact-tracing app. As we explore it, we are determined to do so in a privacy-friendly and ethical way. We have worked with the Information Commissioner’s Office, the Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation, and others, ensuring anything we do gives confidence to the public.”
“The app would store anonymous proximity information securely on your phone, and will only share that information with the NHS when you allow it to. The data will only ever be used in the interests of providing care, public health management, and relevant research. Users will always have the right to delete the app, and their data.”
Gould also committed to openness “When we roll out new technologies throughout this outbreak, we will open source the code wherever possible, enabling the tech community to suggest improvements and help us protect against vulnerabilities, and enabling those with concerns to see exactly what our systems do and how they work. And we will continue to encourage our teams to blog openly, and to be led by a real understanding of user needs.”
