We are delighted to announce that ORCHA services have now been approved on the Government’s G-Cloud 10 portal.
Government Purchasing Framework Approves Health App Services
We are delighted to announce that ORCHA services have now been approved on the Government’s G-Cloud 10 portal. This means any central government, local council, NHS Trust, or public-sector body can purchase ORCHA services and be assured to receive pre-approved commercial arrangements that represent quality and offer value for money.
ORCHA Services on G-Cloud that will help public sector organizations to safely unlock the potential Health Apps offer include:
Local engagement microsites – To drive uptake of health apps and target specific communities in your region, we provide locally branded and tailored microsites featuring a library of evaluated apps that meet the health challenges and demographics in your region.
Pro Account App Prescription service – To help bring health apps safely into practice, we’ve developed a tool to enable health and care professionals to prescribe health apps. More than 60% of recipients act on an App recommendation from a pro. This service helps you to unlock this potential.
Please find ORCHA on the G-Cloud at https://www.digitalmarketplace.service.gov.uk/g-cloud/services/492088287366157.
We are delighted to announce that Liz Ashall-Payne, CEO, ORCHA, was named Entrepreneur of the Year, in the Halton Chamber of Commerce & Enterprise 2018 Awards.
We are delighted to announce that Liz Ashall-Payne, CEO, ORCHA, was named Entrepreneur of the Year, in the Halton Chamber of Commerce & Enterprise 2018 Awards.
The judges assessed organizations from across the region, looking for high levels of growth, strong financial performance, and innovation.
Under Liz’s management, ORCHA has grown from an innovative health concept to its current position as the world leader in health and care app assessments. From Daresbury Science Park, the team drive standards and help NHS and care organizations across the world to capitalize on the power digital health apps have to offer.
Liz Ashall Payne said:
“The work the Chamber does is so important, giving a voice to the varied businesses in our region. I am proud that ORCHA was selected from amongst very tough competition to win this award.”
Home to the world’s only comparison site of health apps, we are passionate about helping patients and professionals find and compare health apps against a range of criteria including data security, clinical safety, and usability.
Home to the world’s only comparison site of health apps, we are passionate about helping patients and professionals find and compare health apps against a range of criteria including data security, clinical safety, and usability.
On behalf of NHS, Educational, and Corporate organizations across the UK and Europe, we review more apps than anyone else, checking against more than 140 criteria and creating locally targeted app libraries that drive user and professional uptake of the best apps on the market. Up until now, we have published the results of all reviews on our site, highlighting how apps rate against this criteria, giving an overall score, and providing the review details behind this.
After listening to our clients along with feedback from clinical and medical professionals we have created an improved offer that aims to drive even easier access to the best health apps on the market.
So what is different?
For Apps that are classified as a level 4 (meaning the highest level of complexity and therefore hold a greater clinical safety risk), we have introduced minimum compliance criteria. Such Apps will now have to demonstrate a suitably qualified professional or body behind the App and evidence of the App’s effectiveness in suitable studies or trials. All Apps which fall into this classification AND that fail to meet this minimum criteria will be excluded from all ORCHA platforms, meaning people, patients and professionals will only be able to find, download and recommend the best.
Talking of the change, Liz Ashall Payne said:
“We help both the NHS and organisations supporting health and wellbeing, to successfully integrate safe and effective health apps into their services. We also advise developers on the stringent requirements needed within the health and care market, to help support the creation of revolutionary apps. We think this change will make health app choices even clearer for patients.”
If you want to learn more please get in touch!
Email Hello@orchahealth.com
Follow us on Twitter @ORCHAhealth
An estimated 89,600 people across Lancashire have an eating disorder and this figure is growing by 7% each year.
An estimated 89,600 people across Lancashire have an eating disorder and this figure is growing by 7% each year. With no single cause, these complex mental health conditions include bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, and anorexia nervosa, and can affect men and women of all ages.
Eating disorders can severely affect the quality of life of the sufferer and those that care for them and can shorten a person’s life. But with the right care, people can recover.
To provide the right support, Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust provides an eating disorder service, run from clinics across the region. The team includes specialist nurses, psychologists, dietitians, and therapists, offering a wide range of care.
The team hadn’t consistently used digital solutions as part of therapy but saw that patients were increasingly on digital media. When the Trust provided its staff with access to the ORCHA platform, the eating disorder team immediately saw the potential and now prescribes health apps to supplement and enhance its therapy.
Dr. Hannah Wilson, Clinical Psychologist, explains:
“The ORCHA platform includes in-depth evaluations of health apps, enabling the team to find safe and effective apps to help a patient and the tools to prescribe them. Before ORCHA I would have to spend at least a week using an app myself, to be clear on what I am asking of a client, and whilst I still now take a look, I don’t need to take as long and feel reassured it has been reviewed against the criteria that matter. I can’t try the thousands of apps out there and so it’s good to know that work has been done for me.
Also when a client shows me an app they have found, I check its ORCHA review and so can advise if they should continue to use it or if there is a more effective app for their need.”
One app the team has found particularly useful is Recovery Record. With meal logs, meal plans, coping skills, secure messages, data & charts, it provides valuable support to the patient, whilst building useful behavior information to review during appointments.
The team also prescribes Mindfulness apps such as Happier. Although they are not specific to an eating disorder, the app can be used to lift a patient’s mood, meditate, or capture happy moments; which can all help patients to stay positive.
On the contribution apps make to the practice, Dr. Wilson explains:
“For me, eating disorders are complex. An app by itself is unlikely to be enough to enable a patient to recover, but I have found that they support, supplement, and back up sessions. The apps enable patients to receive some support between appointments.
For example, they help people to more accurately monitor what we have asked them to, be it their mood or what they’ve eaten. People carry their phones everywhere and so are much more likely to simply and discretely make a note, rather than pull a piece of paper that could be spotted by others or lost. Apps can also provide a source of motivation to help patients keep to their treatment plans. Some also provide real practical assistance with meal planning.
Our clients of all ages use apps every day. If we can become part of that world, we can become more effective and sustainable. Apps also provide a great tool for patients to use long after they have been discharged from our service, to help maintain their progress and stay well.”
Source: https://www.beateatingdisorders.org.uk/media-centre/eating-disorder-statistics