GPs will be asked to prescribe a set of health and fitness apps with the aim of encouraging patients to improve their health.
The scheme, which is part of NHS England’s Health and Care 2020 programme, will allow approved smartphone apps to use the NHS logo.
The services will range from diet and exercise tracking apps, fitness coaching and apps that can monitor blood sugar levels.
Tim Kelsey, national director for patients and information, said: “We want to provide GPs, citizens and carers with some level of reassurance that the NHS has taken a view of a particular digital tool or service and is able to endorse it.
“We are going to introduce a kitemarking scheme, which we think will really help developers to take advantage of the trust that people having the NHS and in return they will voluntarily submit to a degree of assurance, not an endlessly bureaucratic process, but just something that will give people confidence.”
