NHS Foundry is procured and operated by NHS England to manage the COVID-19 vaccination programme. The vaccination capability in NHS Foundry is one of several use cases developed to support the National Health Service response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This includes the supply of equipment such as personal protective equipment, oxygen and ventilators, with some of those use cases accessed by users outside NHS England and NHS Improvement.

NHS England and NHS Improvement are piloting the use of NHS Foundry by NHS trusts and integrated care systems to support the elective recovery strategy. NHS England and NHS Improvement intend to begin market engagement discussions shortly on future requirements for a data analytics platform, with a procurement process expected to follow. NHS England’s decisions on further deployment of the platform will be subject to the usual control and assurance processes.

The company iProov does not provide a vaccine passport service and therefore no technical specification exists that could be shared. In addition, their service does not compare facial data. It scans a user-submitted photograph in real-time, as part of identity checks when registering to use NHS Login to gain access to health records or personal information. NHS Login, under strict controls, compares this image and an image captured from a user’s ID document, such as a driving licence or passport. No information is either shared or stored within iProov or the NHS App.

The facial verification software for the NHS App was developed by iProov who also own the copyright. iProov have developed their services using datasets which are highly diverse across age, ethnicity and gender and their services are continually performance-tested to ensure a high-level coverage across all face types.

NHS login and NHS App store and process personal data within the United Kingdom and European Economic Area. NHS Digital use two approved identity verification suppliers to check the user submitted photographic identity document. This data is processed outside of the device but remains within the control of NHS Digital as the data controller and within the UK. Data leaving the UK is heavily restricted. There are two data processors engaged by NHS Digital to support delivery of the NHS App who process data outside the UK.

We do not hold data on the number of people who have deleted the app or the number of people with the app but with Bluetooth turned off.

We are currently considering what further metrics we may be able to publish about app usage.

Public Health England has taken action to ensure that all software is maintained with necessary updates. The IT incident related to a failure in the process for moving files between different IT systems and was not caused by a failure to update software. Increased testing volumes meant that some Excel files used in the transfer process exceeded the file size threshold and so were not uploaded. The appropriateness of IT systems used continues to be regularly reviewed and improvements made where needed.

The National Health Service COVID-19 app requires users to be owners of smartphones that can install Apple iOS 13.5 and above and Android Marshmallow and above. This is related to the hardware needed for this Bluetooth technology to work effectively and is the same in all countries with apps using the Google and Apple exposure notification Application Programming Interface for contact tracing.

People who do not have a compatible smartphone will still benefit from other people downloading the app. This is because people who use the app will help to break chains of transmission.

The app complements regular contact tracing. They work together to protect vulnerable groups, including those who are unable, or do not wish to, use digital tools.

The NHS Weight Loss Plan app asks users to enter their height and weight to calculate their body mass index (BMI). If a user is underweight or a healthy weight according to their BMI, messaging is shown that explains this weight loss tool is not for them. App users who are underweight or at the lower end of a healthy weight are not prompted to use the app any further than the BMI calculation stage. The app also advises users to discuss their weight with their general practitioner if they have any concerns.

It is clearly stated in the initial ‘onboarding’ screens that the app is not suitable for those under 18 years of age.

Project OASIS was established to cohere data from symptom tracking applications and is currently receiving the data from the Zoe COVID-19 symptom tracking app via the SAIL databank in conjunction with BREATHE. There have been limited conversations with the developers of ZOE linked to project OASIS.

Project OASIS may receive data on testing of people reporting symptoms into the platform. This data would be self-reported and is not official testing data. This does not form part of the dataset that is used by OASIS and OASIS does not have access to individual level testing data. OASIS only uses the fields that are necessary for its purpose, in line with the General Data Protection Regulation. The arrangement is governed by a Data Sharing Agreement and the privacy notice of the app was reviewed to ensure that the intended use of the data fits within that which individuals consented to.

The Isle of Wight phase of the app, which completed in June, has provided valuable information that we will now take forward as we develop an app which supports the entire NHS Test and Trace service.

We have actively engaged with other countries since March 2020 when we started work to develop an app. We are sharing learning and best practice through regular engagement with international partners, including Germany.

We will always comply with the Public Sector Equality Duty, which considers the impact of a policy or decision on groups with protected characteristics, and we have carried out an Equality and Health Impact Assessment.

We are working hard to ensure alignment between the app and traditional contact tracing measures so that they complement each other and work together to protect vulnerable groups, including those who are unable or do not wish to use digital tools.

We have carried out many rounds of user research and testing throughout the development of the app, with people of different ages, genders, ethnicities, socio-economic status, and digital skills, to ensure it meets the needs of different groups.

The National Health Service COVID-19 app is designed to work as part of a wider approach to testing and contact tracing that aims to benefit everyone. The app will have a positive impact at any level of uptake.

All the evidence shows that even at lower levels of use, the app can help reduce the rate of transmission - but the more people who download and use the app, the more effective it will be. We are working closely with Oxford University and The Alan Turing Institute to continue modelling effectiveness at different levels.

We are working hard to ensure alignment between the app and the traditional measures of contact tracing so that they complement each other and work together to protect vulnerable groups and those who are unable or do not wish to use digital tools.

The data will only be retained and processed for as long as it is required for the purposes of the response to COVID-19.

Any data shared with the National Health Service as part of the public health emergency and stored centrally, may be retained and used in the future for research in the public interest, providing care, and public health management whilst complying with all the necessary legislation. We will not hold data for any longer than is needed.

The National Health Service COVID-19 app is one element of a wider programme and will work alongside online and phone-based contact tracing services. The app is important in reaching contacts the individuals may not know or recall, and in getting notifications out faster than would otherwise be possible. Roll out of the app will take place in the coming weeks, as part of the launch and roll out of the wider programme.

App users can delete the National Health Service COVID-19 app whenever they want. If users delete the app, all data stored on the phone and not already shared with the NHS would be deleted. If users do not opt to share their data, it will automatically be deleted on a continuous 28-day cycle within the app, on the phone.

The Ethics Advisory Board (EAB) has been meeting weekly since Thursday 2 April and has met five times to date. A list of members is published at the following link:

https://www.nhsx.nhs.uk/covid-19-response/nhs-covid-19-app/members-ethics-advisory-board/

As well as board members, meetings are attended by a secretariat and the EAB may also invite expert stakeholders to attend. The Board’s Terms of Reference allow for agreed minutes to be made publicly available.

If users choose to share their information with the Department and the National Health Service, it will remain under the control of the Department and the NHS throughout. Companies working with the NHS are bound by robust contract and data processing agreements that specify how and when the data must be stored, secured, used and destroyed.

The data that app users have chosen to share with the NHS may be retained for research in the public interest, or by the NHS for planning and delivering services, in line with the law and on the basis of the necessary approvals required by law.

Data will be stored securely and processed in the United Kingdom. Information that does not, and cannot, identify a user may be stored and processed outside of the UK (for example, information purely about the number of proximity alerts issued, or the number of outcomes from tests).

The Data Protection Impact Assessment and Privacy Notice for the app set out how the data voluntarily provided by a user is stored and used.

The central database of the National Health Service COVID-19 app does not use software provided by Palantir.

Privacy and security remains an integral part of our approach - the user can choose to remain anonymous and their privacy will be protected as they go about their daily life. Should a user develop symptoms they will be asked for permission to donate the log of contact data. If app users choose to submit their data to the National Health Service, either proactively or when requesting a test, it will be held on a NHS database held to highest security standards. Users will at any time be able to remove the app from their phones.