Information and digital tools

This short list provides examples of  digital tools and apps approved for use by the NHS or by Scottish Government. It is not intended to be a fully comprehensive list. 

NHS inform provides a collection  of quality assured tools  and apps.

NHS 24 online app -  allows you to find your nearest services and to assess your symptoms to find out what you should do next.

Near Me: A video consulting service that enables people to attend appointments from home or wherever is convenient. The service is already widely used across NHS Scotland for health and care  Requires a device such as a smartphone or desktop computer that can make video calls.

The Near Me website provides guidance on devices and browsers, how to make a call, and accessibility.

NHS inform Self-Help Guides

These interactive self-help guides are for anyone looking for tailored guidance on common ailments and treatments. They guide the user through a series of questions and make recommendations for self-management, and seeking medical advice.

The self-help guides cover a wide range of:

• Physical health issues, including cough, headache, emergency contraception, shoulder pain, fever in babies and young children.
• Mental health issues, including depression, anxiety, chronic pain, sleep problems, bereavement, OCD and anger management.

Mental wellbeing (Silvercloud platform)

Scottish Government provides national access via NHS inform to a range of interactive wellbeing courses on the Silvercloud digital platform. They cover the following topics:

• Coping with difficult situations
• Sleep
• Stress
• Anger
• Coping with the coronavirus pandemic

All resources employ a psychoeducational approach – i.e. they combine provision of knowledge with motivational and emotional support to encourage change in behaviour.

In order to access a course, users need to provide an email address, create a password, and type in an access code provided on the NHS inform website.

A range of other validated digital therapy tools for mental health needs are available via referral by a healthcare professional. These include the Beating the Blues resource for depression and other resources on  the Silvercloud platform.

Living Life to the Full

Free self-help courses with a focus on emotional wellbeing, covering the following topics:

• Low mood and stress
• Drinking too much
• Living well with a long term condition – including courses for chronic pain and diabetes
• Being a new parent
• Dental anxiety

This guide from the ALLIANCE helps people to understand and navigate digital tools and services that support health, care and wellbeing.

Click on the image below to access the guide.

When you find a digital health information resource, how do you know if it is reliable?

This checklist from MedlinePlus  is a useful tool to use when evaluating online health information sources.  A copy can be downloaded here .

	Who is responsible for the website? Look at the About Is page for clues. Is it  UK website? Is it a registered charity?
	Who funds the site? Are there adverts?
	Who writes the content? Is it reviewed by health professionals? Does it display references? When was it created? Is it up to date? Is the author trying to promote a particular view? Is it biased? Does it have quality accreditation or information standard?

NHS inform provides health information in different languages and formats - including BSL, Easy Read and translations.

You can also translate health information on this website using an online translator.

However, be aware that although online translators can accurately translate individual words and phrases, they may not always be able to interpret the meaning of larger or more complex pieces of information.