Tackling digital exclusion in the NHS; Reaction to prostate screening decision; Mental health tools funding

Tackling NHS digital exclusion head on

In this blog for National Voices, Tim Clarke, the deputy director for transformation, adoption and inclusion at NHS England, shares some of the work being done to tackle digital exclusion. Reflecting on the 10-year health plan's ambitions, Tim discusses how the Transformation Directorate is tackling digital exclusion head-on, from library partnerships and free data schemes to inclusive design and accessibility testing across the NHS App and website. Tim highlights how: 

• More than 2,500 NHS frontline professionals have been recruited as App Ambassadors nationwide, supporting uptake across the health system and local communities, with plans for further expansion.
• NHS England has partnered with 1,400 public libraries and community organisations across England, focusing on deprived communities and marginalised groups, helping people use free library computers to learn the NHS website and set up the NHS App.
• Patient groups and community organisations are being used as core development and testing partners for new website and NHS App functionality.
• There are constant improvements to digital health services to reduce healthcare access barriers.
• All NHS website content is being reviewed to ensure accessibility for people with low literacy levels.
• New technologies like AI are being explored to better serve diverse accessibility needs of NHS App users.

Read the blog in full on the National Voices website here.

"Disappointed" at prostate cancer screening rejection

PIF members Prostate Cancer Research and Prostate Cancer UK have reacted after the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) decided to not recommend mass screening on the NHS for prostate cancer. The committee recommended prostate cancer screening only for men with BRCA gene variations. It said there was not enough evidence to start routine screening for all men at high risk of the disease – including Black men and men with a family history of prostate cancer. The UK NSC has opened a public consultation on its 2025 review of evidence and draft screening recommendation. 

Reacting to the news, Prostate Cancer UK's chief executive Laura Kerby said: “The committee’s decision will come as a blow to the tens of thousands of men, loved ones and families who’ve fought for a screening programme. Today we’re deeply disappointed, but we’re as determined as ever. And it won’t slow us down." The charity said it has launched the TRANSFORM trial - the biggest prostate cancer screening study for 20 years - to find the safest and most accurate screening method to provide definitive answers and pave the way to a screening programme for every man. 

Fellow PIF member Prostate Cancer Research called the screening recommendation a "huge opportunity missed" and said it was "profoundly concerned that other high-risk groups have been left behind".

Read more about the reaction from Prostate Cancer Research here.

Find the response from Prostate Cancer UK here.

Funding to improve safety of digital mental health tools

A £2 million funding boost will allow work to continue to regulate and evaluate digital mental health technologies. The funding boost from Wellcome means the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and NICE can keep developing guidance to ensure people across the UK will have better access to high quality, safe and effective digital mental health support. This funding is part of Wellcome’s commitment to drive transformation in early intervention for anxiety, depression and psychosis. Since launching in 2023, the programme has focused on introducing clearer, risk-proportionate regulation and evaluation, working closely with people with lived experience, mental health specialists, developers and international partners. The next phase will include establishing a digital mental health technology AI airlock – a regulatory sandbox for AI medical devices – which lets companies test new tools with the regulator before wider NHS roll-out. 

Read more about the project on the GOV.UK website here.

Research drives improvements in men's health

The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) has shared three areas of its research which are driving improvements in men’s health: prostate cancer, inequalities, and men's mental health and suicide. The NIHR said the research it funds and supports is changing the lives of men and boys across the UK, helping them lead healthier, happier lives. The institute has multiple studies ongoing into prostate cancer, including trials looking into optimising care, treatment and surgical interventions. The co-funded TRANSFORM trial is examining screening strategies that the NIHR says have the potential to reduce deaths by 40%. 

Looking at inequalities, the NIHR says it's vital to understand and tackle disparities and has been conducting research into prisoners and self-harm and prostate cancer stigma among black men. The NIHR has also funded and supported research into men's mental health and suicide with more in the pipeline, including studies into suicide prevention. 

Read more about the men's health research on the NIHR website here.

How social prescribing can support mental health

The National Academy for Social Prescribing has published a new flipbook about how social prescribing can support children and young people's mental health. The flipbook builds on the Connected to Thrive report and outlines how social prescribing - connecting people to non-medical activities and services that help improve their health and wellbeing - can fit into a joined-up system, from prevention to treatment. The flipbook also highlights 17 innovative social prescribing programmes for children and young people, including some delivered through schools, youth organisations and charities; programmes targeted at young people in the justice system or care leavers; and programmes for young people who are being treated by children and young people's mental health services or on the waiting list for support. The National Academy for Social Prescribing points out how these services are not available everywhere and there is not equitable access across the country with "too many children and young people falling through the gaps".

Find out more on the National Academy for Social Prescribing website here.

Action plan to tackle HIV stigma is welcomed

PIF member the Terrence Higgins Trust has welcomed the government's HIV Action Plan to tackle stigma and end transmissions in England by 2030. The Action Plan was unveiled by Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting on World AIDS Day (1 December) and includes a first-of-its-kind national programme which will find and support people who are not accessing lifesaving HIV treatment and bring them back into care. The plan also aims to tackle the stigma that remains a barrier for many people who avoid getting tested through fear of judgement and discrimination. Richard Angell OBE, chief executive of Terrence Higgins Trust, said the government's ambition was "momentous and historic", adding: "National funding to re-engage people in life-saving HIV care, putting HIV home-testing on the NHS App and long-term funding for opt-out HIV and hepatitis testing in emergency departments will be transformational. This is what people with HIV need. This is what we have been calling for. Now we must work together to make it happen."

Read more on the Terrence Higgins Trust website here.

Flu vaccine leaflets available in 13 languages

A new leaflet and video resource about children's flu vaccines have been produced for families by PIF member AstraZeneca. The leaflet includes easy-to-read information about who is eligible for the free nasal spray vaccine, why children need the vaccine and details on how it is given. There is also a list of facts on the differences between the flu and a cold. The leaflet has been created for families whose children are having the flu vaccine in schools and other health settings and has been translated into 13 different languages. There is also an easy-read version and a video showing more about the process of how the nasal spray flu vaccine is administered. The resources were produced in line with the PIF TICK criteria, using health information which is evidence-based, up-to-date and easy to use and understand. The leaflet also thanks parents who reviewed and gave feedback on the leaflet. 

Find the resources on the AstraZeneca Share Good Times Not Flu website here.