The NHS Digital Technology Assessment Criteria helps NHS patients and staff to feel confident in the quality and safety of digital solutions used in the care they provide or receive.
The DTAC is a comprehensive framework which assesses technologies against a range of criteria including Clinical Safety, Data Protection, Technical Security, Interoperability, and Usability & Accessibility.
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Our deep expertise in each of these domains means we’re able to support you through your entire DTAC journey or individual criteria, depending on your requirements.
Explore our case studies to see how we have supported numerous businesses to achieve DTAC compliance and establish the essential compliance foundations for growth.
If you’re a developer, manufacturer, or supplier of digital health technology and want your products to be adopted across NHS and social care systems, then you need DTAC compliance. The NHS Digital Technology Assessment Criteria ensures digital health tools meet the highest standards for clinical safety, data protection, security, and usability.
DTAC is an essential framework to follow in order for businesses to be successfully procured in the NHS. It’s more than just a checklist, it’s a means of evidencing your commitment to quality and patient safety.
If your technology is designed for patients, clinicians, or other healthcare staff, you need DTAC to prove its quality and safety.
We offer a comprehensive suite of DTAC services, delivered by our in-house team – we’re here to help you get it right the first time.
We’re not purely about meeting standards or rating applications; our focus is on ensuring your compliance journey creates value for your business.
Our team is made up of domain experts who understand what it takes to succeed in the NHS. Let our experience be your guide to excellence.
We ensure every Digital Technology Assessment Criteria component we deliver or consult on is fully assured, guiding you through the process with remediation plans and support for any areas that need strengthening.
Our support is tailored to fit your needs, including:
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Explore our Blog for a wealth of insights on topics such as the NHS DTAC and Clinical Safety Standards.
The NHS Digital Technology Assessment Criteria was developed by NHSX as a framework and assessment methodology for evaluating the potential risks and benefits associated with adopting new technology across health and social care services.
DTAC gives anyone using new technology, including staff, patients and citizens, the confidence that digital health tools meet the highest standards for clinical safety, data protection, technical security, interoperability, usability and accessibility. In doing so, it also helps to identify gaps or areas where further research is needed.
DTAC is designed to improve the quality of digital health technology in the UK by creating a national benchmark for both developers and commissioners (buyers). It combines legislative, regulatory and policy requirements with an assessment methodology to enable NHS health and social care organisations to quickly and consistently assess the potential risks, impact and benefits of any new technology. Ultimately, the DTAC outlines what is expected of suppliers at the procurement stage and as part of any due diligence process. It is likely to become compulsory for inclusion in national procurement frameworks that public sector organisations use to purchase technology and services. Where a supplier does not pass or meet all the requirements of the Digital Technology Assessment Criteria, the technology will be failed.
Although DTAC is not currently mandatory it is being rapidly adopted across the NHS and social care. The direction of travel suggests it will soon be a requirement for all new and renewing contracts procured via NHS frameworks.
Each product, regardless of whether it is patient-facing, designed for clinicians, or for use by other health and social care staff, needs to be assessed individually. The scope is very broad and has been based on the DCB0129 Clinical Safety Standard to ensure all Health IT Systems are covered. A ‘Health IT System’ is defined as any “product used to provide electronic information for health and social care purposes”
Although there is no formal recognition by NHS England or any NHS and social care provider organisations of the assurance provided, we have been a trusted partner in the health and social care industry for many years, providing data protection services to integrated care systems and GP practices. Our team of clinical safety and information governance specialists regularly advise and support NHS Integrated Care Systems (ICS) and providers and as such, we and the quality of our work have an excellent reputation across health and social care.
Get ready to go on a smooth compliance journey with our expert guidance. Book a no-obligation discovery call with a member of our team and get started today!
