Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the resilience of digital appointment booking systems used by NHS phlebotomy and outpatient services; and what steps he is taking to ensure that patients are notified promptly when such systems are unavailable.

Each National Health Service provider is responsible for the procurement and operation of appointment booking systems, as well as communication with patients about their appointments. National guidance expects trusts to use the Digital Technology Assessment Criteria (DTAC) when buying and implementing digital health tech. DTAC covers standards, policies, and best practice for clinical safety, data protection, technical security, interoperability, usability and accessibility.