Member Article

Autism support tool Brain in Hand receives NHSX Digital Technology Assessment accreditation

The Digital Technology Assessment Criteria for health and social care is awarded to digital tools that meet standards set out by the NHS.

News comes as clinical study reveals that digital support for autistic adults results in significant reduction in anxiety and self-injurious behaviour.

Brain in Hand, the UK-based digital healthcare company empowering supported self-management, today announces that it is Digital Technology Assessment Criteria (DTAC) compliant. The programme is run by NHSX to ensure clinical safety, data protection and accessibility when it comes to digital healthcare tools.

Brain in Hand, which helps autistic people or those facing mental health challenges to build independence and manage/maintain their wellbeing, passed the clinical safety, data protection, technical security, and interoperability elements of the assessment criteria. In addition, it ranked highly when it came to usability and accessibility.

This independent assessment, which is provided by ORCHA, reviewed evidence from Brain in Hand not only on the functionality, safety, and security of the technology, but on a suite of topics including how end users are involved in product development, the company’s internal processes and working methods, and how the system provides a genuine solution to the needs of autistic people and those managing anxiety.

Mat Taylor, Commercial Director at Brain in Hand, said: “Evidence standards for digital support are still relatively new, but it’s incredibly important that we validate products and services. Especially where they’re used to support vulnerable people, we need to give health and social care services confidence that these support solutions are reliable, safe, and effective.

“Soon it will be mandated that all digital solutions within health and social care are DTAC compliant. Our performance here will help us make our digital support available to even more people who could really benefit from help with managing anxiety, working towards independence, and dealing with life’s daily challenges.”

The Brain in Hand self-management system combines practical solution-focused coaching, simple digital tools, and 24/7 on-demand human support.

Digital support in action

A recent first-of-its-kind prospective cohort study into Brain in Hand examined the impact of digital self-management in helping to support autistic adults. It revealed a significant reduction in anxiety, self-injurious behaviour, and memory and orientation problems.

The study was conducted by CIDER (Cornwall Intellectual Disability Equitable Research of Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust/University of Plymouth), and demonstrated that providing digital support to autistic adults, or people on the waiting list for an autism assessment, can achieve positive psychological outcomes and help people maintain their wellbeing.

This is amid news that the waiting list for an autism assessment has increased by 35%, with many waiting several years.

Dr Louise Morpeth, CEO of Brain in Hand, commented: “More needs to be done when it comes to supporting autistic people, especially those who are on a growing NHS waiting list. We’re proud to be helping ease pressures that our healthcare system faces and provide a human-centric solution to those that need it most.”

She continued: “It’s essential, if you have a product claiming to make a difference to people’s lives, that you can evidence that. I’m very proud that Brain in Hand now has not only strong evidence for its effectiveness, but also endorsement that our ways of working are compliant with standards. Our DTAC accreditation further supports our commitment to making self-management tools more accessible to the autistic community.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Lucy Jefferson .