We’re delighted to have passed all categories in the NHSx’s Digital Technology Assessment Criteria (DTAC) for 2023. We’re particularly happy to have been awarded a 95% score in Usability and Accessibility.

What is the DTAC?

The DTAC is a mandatory national baseline criteria for all digital health technologies entering into the NHS and social care. It takes into account a number of key categories, including Clinical Safety, Technical Assurance, Data Protection, and Interoperability.

For healthcare organisations, the DTAC can be used to support the assessment of different suppliers during the procurement process, or as part of due diligence. The criteria brings together legislation and good practice to provide a safe, seamless route between development and procurement.

Why is it so important?

When starting any procurement process, assessing compliance is a key priority. Identifying suppliers who meet Clinical Safety, Technical Assurance, Data Protection and Interoperability standards has a huge role to play in safe and successful product selection.

By choosing a tool or system that has passed the DTAC, organisations can be confident that it aligns with the high standards set by NHS England. This also prevents organisations from having to re-open the search for a new system a couple of months down the line due to non-compliance issues or other unforeseen problems.

Putting usability at the heart of design

Usability and Accessibility are also critical when it comes to choosing an effective digital health tool. Platforms with higher usability can help free up time for clinical staff and speed up patient access to care. Onboarding should be seamless and ongoing support provided to ensure the solution continues working for you and your patients.

The ease of use of the Cinapsis platform has earned us a nomination as Finalist in the HSJ Awards Partnership of the Year category.

Our teledermatology project, launched in partnership with Cheshire and Merseyside ICB, has been shortlisted in the HSJ Partnership of the Year category.

The project is supporting GPs across the region to access fast, effective advice and guidance and streamline dermatology referrals. A smartphone-compatible dermatoscope can be used to capture clinical-grade images which can then be securely sent alongside the request to a secondary care specialist via the Cinapsis platform.

Before Cinapsis was rolled out in the area, 30% of dermatology referrals to the two week wait pathway for suspected skin cancer were being made unnecessarily. This amounted to an estimated 7,000 referrals every year, at a cost of £1 million.

The introduction of Cinapsis has since enabled:

• A reduction in unnecessary referrals to the two week wait pathway from 30% to 0%
• 49% of cases submitted on the platform to be successfully managed with advice and guidance alone
• Patients with clinically worrying lesions to be redirected to the appropriate clinic sooner, whilst those with benign lesions have been screened out and not needed to make the journey to hospital

You can find full details of the project here.

Want to learn more about the DTAC? Head to www.nhsx.nhs.uk/dtac or contact a member of our team by emailing hello@cinapsis.org.