NHS patients to be directed to beneficial healthcare apps

The government has outlined new healthcare technology plans that will see GPs directing patients to free or cheap smartphone apps to help monitor health conditions.

A recent competition launched by the Department of Health has identified a number of existing apps that are already proving useful to patients, while suggesting various apps that could be beneficial in future.

Popular current apps include Patients Know Best, which lets users review their own records and make choices about their own care, while the Diabetes App offers reminders on blood sugar levels and treatment schedules.

Meanwhile, suggestions put forward by patients called for apps to find NHS services on a map and software to offer practical guidance on general or specific conditions such as high blood pressure and post-traumatic stress.

Health secretary Andrew Lansley said: "Innovation and technology can revolutionise the health service and we are looking at how the NHS can use these apps for the benefit of patients, including how GPs could offer them for free."

Last month, the government pledged to further improve UK care quality standards by making telehealth and remote monitoring options more widely available to patients.