Dr Now passes inspection amid more scrutiny for health apps

The first of the digital GP services to face a CQC inspection has been given a provisional clean bill of health, with the service provided via a mobile app deemed "safe". A draft Care Quality Commission inspection report on Salford Quays, Manchester, also known as Dr Now, has been released by the company. The draft report found the service provided "safe care in accordance with the relevant regulations". Dr Now is one of two private digital healthcare providers, along with Babylon Health, that the CQC has inspected as part of an "independent health" pilot. As reported by Digital Health News earlier this week, by April next year the CQC plans to roll out a more focused regulatory regime for the growing number of digital healthcare services, many of them run by companies charging for private access to NHS doctors.