News
The latest news from NHS Digital.
New resources help organisations to support older people to use digital
This week is Get Online Week - the UK’s largest digital inclusion campaign - and we’re celebrating the positive impact that digital can have for older people through a new report launched today (Good Things Foundation press release).
Rob Shaw CBE announces his departure from NHS Digital
Rob Shaw, deputy CEO at NHS Digital has announced that he will be leaving the organisation at Christmas, to pursue a consulting career.
NHS Digital puts biometric login coding at developers’ fingertips
NHS Digital has released two pieces of code under open source that will allow developers to include biometric login into their products and services.
Mental health crisis plan access for ambulance staff to go live
Ambulance clinicians will soon be able to access the mental health crisis plans of emergency patients while on the move, following the successful first pilot phase of the National Record Locator.
Obesity increased in reception children in 2018-19, while levels remained similar in year 6 pupils
Obesity prevalence among reception-aged schoolchildren in England increased between 2017-18 and 2018-19, new statistics from NHS Digital show.
Annual outpatients activity report published
NHS Digital has today published the Hospital Outpatient Activity, 2018/19 report.
Fall in coverage for all routine childhood vaccinations in England in 2018-19
Coverage for all routine childhood vaccinations administered to children under five decreased in England in 2018-19 compared to the previous year, a new report shows.
New mortality indicator published on people with learning disabilities
The indicator2 measures the national and local standardised mortality ratio3 of the learning disabilities population.
NHS Digital launches staff campaign to boost cyber security in the workplace
NHS staff are being given support and advice to improve cyber security across the system
Hospital admission statistics published
Statistics on all NHS admissions into hospitals in England in 2018-19 have been published today by NHS Digital.
Latest NHS Payments to General Practice figures published
The NHS Payments to General Practice, England, 2018/19 report has been published today by NHS Digital.
New hub to enhance clinical trial capability
NHS Digital partners with University of Oxford, Microsoft and IBM for pioneering new venture.
A&E attendances twice as high for people in the most deprived areas as in the least deprived
There were more than twice as many attendances to Accident and Emergency departments in England for the 10% of the population living in the most deprived areas (3.1 million), compared with the least deprived 10% (1.5 million) in 2018-19, according to official figures released today.
Number of care providers using NHSmail increases tenfold
The number of care providers using NHSmail, the NHS’ centrally-funded secure email service, has surged since the start of the year, from 97 providers to 1,076.
Digital tools help improve access to healthcare for patients with hearing and sight loss
People with sensory impairments in West Yorkshire and Harrogate have been given the knowledge to use digital health tools to make visiting the GP easier.
NHS Digital publishes estimates of GP and dental earnings and expenses
The Dental Earnings and Expenses Estimates 2017/18 and GP Earnings and Expenses Estimates 2017/18 reports have been published today by NHS Digital.
NHS Digital publishes biannual workforce figures
NHS Digital has today published its biannual report on the healthcare workforce across primary and secondary care as well as the independent sector.
Report on NHS dentistry drills down to deeper level of activity data for first time
The latest annual dental statistics from NHS Digital contain the most in-depth information about dental care ever published in this series.
Nine new tools and services to use NHS login
NHS login – the service providing patients with a secure, simple way to identify themselves and match them to their records – will be used by nine more services.
CCG leads way with latest electronic prescription upgrade live in all GP practices
Portsmouth has become the first area in the country where prescriptions for all patients can be sent electronically.
NHS Digital celebrates five years of Spine II as the backbone of the national health service
This week NHS Spine marks five years since it was brought in house by NHS Digital and run as an open source service for the NHS by the NHS – saving the service £150m in the process.
Pupils who have recently smoked, drunk alcohol and taken drugs are more likely to be ‘unhappy’ according to new report
New figures revealed by NHS Digital showed 51% of young people aged 11 to 15 who had recently drunk alcohol, smoked cigarettes and taken drugs experienced low levels of happiness.
Helping doctors and nurses to improve care for patients with a learning disability
NHS Digital pilot will improve care for people with a learning disability by introducing a reasonable adjustment flag on patient records2.
NHS Digital’s Head of Legal nominated for prestigious award
NHS Digital’s Head of Legal has been nominated for the Law Society’s In-House Solicitor of the Year award.
First phase of GP IT Futures framework procurement finishes
NHS Digital has completed the first phase of the GP IT Futures procurement process – with the invitation to tender now closed.
Perimeter security contract provides cyber security boost for the NHS
The NHS will receive free-to-adopt, world class perimeter security services as NHS Digital signs contract with Accenture.
Latest experimental statistics about female genital mutilation published
New official figures published today provide experimental statistics on female genital mutilation (FGM) in England, from April 2018 to March 2019.
Blazing Britain boosts heat-related NHS website visits
Soaring temperatures across the UK this week has seen a boom in the number of visits to the NHS website for heat-related illness.
NHS Digital cyber team wins prestigious data security award
NHS Digital has won the Data and Information Security Award at the Public Sector Paperless Awards for the Data and Security Protection Toolkit (DSPT).
Talking therapies: New statistics show an increase in referrals, numbers starting treatment and recovery rates during 2018-19
1.60m referrals were made to talking therapies for anxiety and depression in England during 2018-19 – up 11.4% from the previous year (1.44m in 2017-18).
NHS Digital commercial and HSCN teams win prestigious innovation award
NHS Digital won the Innovation Award at the Yorkshire and Humber Skills and Development Network Commercial Awards for the Health and Social Care Network (HSCN), which has saved the NHS almost £50m per year.
Around 1.8m fewer adult smokers in England in 2018 compared with seven years ago
The number of adult cigarette smokers1 in England has dropped by around 1.8m from 7.7m2 (19.8%) in 20113 to 5.9m (14.4%) in 2018, new official figures show.
NHS Digital chief executive listed in 100 most influential women in UK India relations
NHS Digital’s chief executive Sarah Wilkinson has been named in the top 100 most influential women in UK India relations.
Embrace the NHS App as part of your practice’s digital toolbox
Southampton-based GP and NHS Digital Interim Chief Medical Officer, Amir Mehrkar, urges his fellow GPs to embrace the NHS App as another digital tool to help their practices.
Increase in adult carers feeling stressed or depressed
60.6% of carers reported feeling stressed in 2018-19 (up from 58.7% in 2016-17)2, according to a survey of 50,800 adult carers in England, published today by NHS Digital.
NHS Digital scoops Digital Leaders 100 award
NHS Digital scooped a top innovation award at the Digital Leaders 100 awards last night.
Quicker access to the Summary Care Record for community pharmacies
Pharmacists can now access vital patient information quickly and simply through a new Summary Care Record (SCR) 1-click function.
Figures published on surplus land in the NHS estate
NHS Surplus Land 2018/19 includes information on land and buildings which have been sold by the NHS, and land which has been retained but developed for housing.
Apps Library assessment portal launches
A digital assessment portal which will streamline and improve the process for developers seeking to have their app included on the NHS Apps Library has launched.
NHS WiFi now available to millions of patients
Free NHS WiFi is now available in 6,749 GP practices and 212 acute, mental health and community NHS Trusts across England, benefitting millions of patients.
Child safeguarding system reaches 100 per cent roll-out in London
The Child Protection Information Sharing (CP-IS) system has reached 100% coverage in London for the first time, flagging young patients arriving at unscheduled healthcare settings to their social workers.
Health Secretary: Ambitious tech overhaul will make NHS most advanced health and care system in the world
Top technology companies will be challenged to develop new, innovative GP IT systems to empower patients to access more health services online and through their phones, Health Secretary Matt Hancock announces today .
Invitation to Tender launched for GP IT Futures programme
NHS Digital has issued an invitation to tender for existing and new suppliers to deliver a new IT systems framework for primary care.
Summary Hospital-level Mortality Indicator (SHMI) is updated
The SHMI reports on mortality at trust level across the NHS in England. Methodological changes will be made from today’s publication.
NHS 111 online hits one million triages mark
NHS 111 online has been used more than one million times to get people the medical help they need since its launch in December 2017.
NHS Digital reaches agreement to offer NHS organisations discounted access to cloud services
NHS Digital has reached an agreement with software firm VMware to provide NHS organisations with discounted access to VWware Cloud on Amazon Web Services (AWS).
NHS Digital chief nurse calls on nurses and midwives to continue to take the lead on digital revolution
To mark International Nurses’ Day NHS Digital’s acting chief nurse, Caron Swinscoe, talks about how small technological and information sharing advances have the chance to make a real difference to nurses and midwives on the frontline and the patients they care for.
NHS Fit Notes report allows for regional comparisons to be made for the first time
Coverage in NHS Digital’s latest fit notes publication has increased to include data from 96% of GP practices.
711,000 hospital admissions where obesity was a factor in 2017/18
Admissions to NHS hospitals, where obesity was recorded as either a primary or secondary diagnosis1, increased by 15% (94,000) on 2016/172.
NHS Digital welcomes RCGP tech manifesto
NHS Digital has welcomed the publishing of the RCGP’s tech manifesto today.
Digital health hub rolled out across more areas following pilot success
A digital health hub piloted in Nailsea has proved to be such a success that the NHS is scaling it up across England, as demand increases from councils in North West London, the Wirral, Blackburn, Middlesbrough and Stafford.
New venue supports partnership working to drive innovation in health and care
As part of the Leeds Digital Festival, today sees the official opening of Co>Space North; a new health and care collaboration, co-working and innovation space in Leeds city centre.
Ambulance clinicians to access patient information on the move, without a Smartcard
Today the London Ambulance Service begins a pilot to enable its clinicians to securely access Summary Care Record data on an iPad, without the need for a smartcard or N3, for the first time, by using the new NHS Identity Service to authenticate to the system.
NHS Digital deal offers NHS organisations better insight into system data
NHS Digital has agreed a deal that will allow NHS organisations to make better use of their machine generated information through a market-leading data monitoring and analytics platform.
NHS staff and parents to gain access to crucial child health information
NHS Digital and NHS England collaborate with IT suppliers to launch groundbreaking new service
NHS Digital programmes nominated for digital award
NHS Digital’s Digital Delivery Centre has been nominated for a DigiLeaders 100 award for its work on the National Record Locator and NHS 111 online.
£4.8m available to scale up local digital adult social care projects
Organisations that provide and commission adult social care services are invited to bid for a share of £4.8m to enable them to roll out their local digital projects on a wider scale.
Prescription Cost Analysis report published
The cost of prescriptions dispensed in the community and the number of items dispensed during the 2018 calendar year has been published today by NHS Digital.
Emergency readmissions published for first time in five years
New experimental statistics have been released by NHS Digital, showing emergency readmissions for hospitals in England between 2013/14 and 2017/18.
NHS technologists urged to be part of NHS Digital sustainability forum
NHS Digital is calling on providers and stakeholders to join a working group looking at developing a sustainable tech workstream for the NHS, as the NHS marks its annual Sustainability Day on 21 March.
Daniel Ray is named second in data 100 power list
NHS Digital’s Daniel Ray has been named the second most influential data and analytics practitioner in the UK by dataIQ’s top 100 list.
International Women’s Day analysis: The role of women in the NHS in England
Women account for more than three quarters of the NHS workforce in England, according to NHS Digital statistics published today on International Women's Day.
Pharmacies now able to dispense controlled drugs via Electronic Prescription Service
Following successful testing, NHS Digital is rolling out Schedule 2 and 3 Controlled Drugs (CDs) via the Electronic Prescription Service (EPS).
New statistics on England’s social care workforce published
NHS Digital has today published its latest annual report on components of the social care workforce in England.
Proportion of women taking up breast screening invitations falls
The proportion of women aged 50-70 taking up routine breast screening invitations fell to 70.5% in 2017-18, down from 71.1% in 2016-17 and from 73.2% in 2007-08. The acceptable level of uptake is 70 per cent.
NHS login launches pilot to develop the service for future users
Five organisations support NHS login as part of a small-scale pilot from March 2019.
338,000 admitted to hospital as a result of alcohol in 2017/18
There were 338,000 admissions to hospital in 2017/18 where the main cause was due to drinking alcohol, according to new figures published today.
Data Security and Protection Toolkit helps care providers get online with NHSmail
Care providers can now gain access to NHSmail, once they have completed the entry level of the online Data Security and Protection Toolkit (DSPT), NHS Digital has announced.
More than £1m available for innovative digital social care projects
Local authorities developing digital social care projects to be boosted by Social Care Digital Innovation Programme (SCDIP) funding.
Digital inclusion project brings healthcare technology to the homeless
Homeless and insecurely housed people in Hastings now have access to medical treatment and support thanks to an innovative digital health care outreach project.
Annual learning disabilities statistics released
24 January 2019: Annual figures on the health and care of people with learning disabilities have been released by NHS Digital.
Leeds first city to fully join up with GP Connect
NHS Digital has taken a major step on the road to ensuring clinicians have access to patients’ GP records right across Leeds.
GP appointments data published
The second monthly GP appointments publication has been released, covering figures for November 2018.
NHS Digital chief executive welcomes focus on technology in Long Term Plan
NHS Digital's chief executive, Sarah Wilkinson, has welcomed the focused on digital technology in the NHS Long Term Plan published today.
NHS payments to General Practice report published
The NHS Payments to General Practice, England, 2017/18 report has been published today by NHS Digital.
NHS e-Referral Service makes its 100 millionth online booking
The NHS e-Referral Service has hit 100 million bookings since it was launched in 2005 as the NHS Choose and Book Service.
NHS Spine reaches one billion monthly transactions
The NHS Spine, which supports the IT infrastructure for over 500,000 health and social care workers in England, has reached the milestone of one billion transactions in a month for the first time.
Insight into digital uptake in maternity services aims to bring benefits of technology to mums
A new report shows for the first time how digitally ‘savvy’ maternity services in England are – and aims to drive up the better use of technology.
GP appointments data published
NHS Digital has published data to inform users about GP appointments and help show how primary care is affected by seasonal variation.
Health survey reveals association between parent and child obesity
Children of obese parents are more likely to be obese themselves than children whose parents are not overweight or obese, according to NHS Digital figures released today.
New UK Health Data Research Alliance to boost medical research and improve future health and care
An exciting new alliance will bring the UK’s leading academics together with forward thinking health data specialists, to develop new ways to design and support the medical research of the future, to improve the care patients receive from the NHS.
Update: NHSmail restored to all users
We can confirm that all accounts identified as having been locked out as a result of multiple login attempts were unlocked by 10.30pm last night.
Update: Access to NHSmail restored
All users should now have their access to NHSmail restored after problems with availability today, caused by a software issue in the supplier’s internal infrastructure.
Update: Severity 1 national outage on NHSmail
We have been working hard to fix the issues NHSmail has been having today.
Severity 1 national outage on NHSmail
There is currently a severity 1 national outage on NHSmail. We are working with our supplier to resolve the service.
NHS Digital takes major step on road to universal electronic prescriptions
NHS Digital has launched a pilot that could see more than 95% of GP prescriptions processed electronically, saving the NHS time and money.
New cervical screening figures released
NHS Digital has published their latest report on cervical screening coverage for 2017-2018.
One in eight of five to 19 year olds had a mental disorder in 2017 major new survey finds
One in eight (12.8%) of children and young people aged between five and 19, surveyed in England in 2017, had a mental disorder1 according to a major new report which provides England’s best source of data on trends in child mental health.
New standard to improve information sharing between community pharmacies and GP practices
A new standard that will improve sharing clinical information between community pharmacies and GP practices has been published.
More than half of patients who finished psychological therapy recovered in 2017-18
A total of 50.8% of courses of treatment for anxiety and depression ended in a patient’s recovery in 2017-18, new statistics from NHS Digital reveal.
Nine councils awarded funding to use digital innovation to create social care of the future
Biometric devices measuring anxiety triggers for people with autism and exoskeleton devices for carers are among nine social care digitisation projects to receive extra funding from NHS Digital and the Local Government Association.
Information about number of breast implant surgeries revealed in new report
A registry designed to safeguard the health of patients undergoing breast implant surgery now contains details of 20,665 operations.
NHS Digital funding to help adult social care provider sector build a digital future
NHS Digital has awarded £784,000 to the members of the Care Provider Alliance to deliver a new sector-led service which will offer digital support for social care providers.
Latest figures published on prescribing for diabetes
NHS Digital has today published its latest annual Prescribing for Diabetes: England 2007/08 to 2017/18 report.
More women attend for breast screening thanks to success of digital inclusion project
An NHS project using social media to improve health by boosting digital inclusion has led to a 13 per cent increase in first time attendances for breast screening in Stoke-on-Trent over four years.
Annual report on GP activity in England published
Figures showing the prevalence of 21 conditions, including asthma, hypertension, dementia, diabetes, and depression are published today by NHS Digital.