MHRA and NICE receive funding to explore digital mental health tools
MHRA and NICE will be exploring the regulation of digital mental health tools, with help from a £1.8m funding boost from Wellcome.
News

Cyber security news round-up
Our latest round-up of cyber security nibs includes a cyber-attack on the Labour party and Marie Stopes achieving Cyber Essentials Plus Certification.
Cyber Security

Safety stamp for health apps to bring more trust to new solutions
The SGS HSP Safety Mark will be applied to healthcare software deemed secure for use in an attempt to signpost trusted products and increase the adoption of non-medical health apps.
Digital Patient 2

Online clinic reactivated following Care Quality Commission suspension
HR Healthcare Ltd, which was suspended by the Care Quality Commission for failing to comply with standards, is operating again after passing inspection.
Digital Patient

Explainer: when is an app not an app (but a medical device)?
New guidance has been released on when an app becomes a “medical device” but attempts to control which apps creep into the NHS have had a rocky history, Ben Heather discovers.
Clinical Software

CQC shifts focus from inspections to data and feedback
The Care Quality Commission will push ahead with plans to scale down inspections and instead rely more heavily on data and user feedback.
News

Data to underpin inspections – CQC
The Care Quality Commission has issued a consultation suggesting it could revert to trying to spot problems using data and user feedback, instead of running full inspections of all the services it regulates.
News

Barcoded medicines to prevent fake drugs
All prescription medicines will need to carry a barcode on their packaging to reduce the risk of counterfeit and unsafe drugs entering the healthcare system following new European regulations.
Infrastructure

BSI publishes apps development standard
The British Standards Institution has published a set of standards to support developers creating health and wellness apps.
Interoperability

Is there a regulation for that?
Richard Brady, a surgical registrar, is worried that too many medical apps have too little medical input – and may be unsafe. He tells Lis Evenstad that regulation is needed.
Feature