19.06.20
NHS coronavirus app to enter next phase of development
The government’s coronavirus tracing app, created to support the NHS Test and Trace service, has entered its next phase of development, working to bring together the work achieved so far on the NHS Covid-19 app and the new Google/Apple framework.
Following a trial on the Isle of Wight and rigorous field testing, a number of challenges have been identified in both the NHS app and the new framework, the UK Government said.
In pursuit of an efficient solution, the team behind the app’s development will now look to bring together the work achieved on both existing platforms. It is hoped this will overcome many of these identified challenges and allow the development of an app which will bring together the necessary functionality required to carry out contact tracing, but also make it easier to order tests and access proactive advice and guidance on self-isolation.
NHS Test and Trace is already working to limit the spread of coronavirus, working to contact those who may have been in close contact with positive cases of the virus and otherwise have unwittingly continued the spread of the virus.
In a joint statement, Baroness Dido Harding, Executive Chair of NHS Test and Trace and Matthew Gould, CEO, NHSX: “Three weeks ago we launched NHS Test and Trace as a brand new, end-to-end service, to help control the spread of Covid-19 and we are hugely grateful for the way the public have responded to protect those around them.
“Our ambition is to develop an app which will enable anyone with a smartphone to engage with every aspect of the NHS Test and Trace service, from ordering a test through to accessing the right guidance and advice. This will support our vision of helping more people get back to the most normal life possible at the lowest risk.
READ MORE: Government launches NHS Test and Trace service
“Our response to this virus has and will continue to be as part of an international effort. That is why as part of a collaborative approach we have agreed to share our own innovative work on estimating distance between app users with Google and Apple, work that we hope will benefit others, while using their solution to address some of the specific technical challenges identified through our rigorous testing.
“We will also draw on the invaluable insight from all of those who trialled the app on the Isle of Wight – and the brilliant teams who have worked on it to date – to build an app that can form part of the end-to-end NHS Test and Trace service, and this insight will be integral to the next phase of development.
“Crucially, NHS Test and Trace is already playing a vital role in helping us stop the spread of the virus. We will keep learning, improving and refining to build a high-quality service on which all of us can depend and to have the right technology in place.”
Health Secretary Matt Hancock added: “Our approach to the virus, whether that’s on vaccines, testing, treatments or cures, has been that we are willing to back innovative solutions and to be ambitious.
“We knew from the start that we would need to test and learn as we developed this new technology. The NHS Covid-19 app has undergone some of the most rigorous testing in the world – utilising a real world trial on the Isle of Wight pilot and in a series of field tests – and I want to thank all of those involved.
“As we enter this next phase of research and development we remain determined to continue in our ambition to develop an app which meets the technical, security and user needs of the public and which can complement the NHS Test and Trace service.
“Countries across the globe have faced challenges in developing an app which gets all of these elements right, but through ongoing international collaboration we hope to learn, improve and find a solution which will strengthen our global response to this virus.”