Digital Health Passport recommended by NICE to support asthma self-management

Recognition marks major milestone for Tiny Medical Apps' NHS-backed platform

Digital Health Passport, developed by Tiny Medical Apps, has been named by NICE as one of eight digital platforms recommended for use in the NHS to help people manage asthma, as part of newly published draft guidance.

The recommendation recognises the platform's role in supporting people with asthma to manage their condition more confidently through digital personalised asthma action plans, symptom and medication tracking, reminders, and trusted educational content — all designed to complement, not replace, routine clinical care.

Earlier access while evidence continues to build

Under the draft guidance, Digital Health Passport and the other recommended platforms can be used across the NHS during a three-year evidence generation period, allowing patients and clinicians to benefit from innovation sooner while further data is collected.

Asthma affects around 5.4 million people in the UK, and when poorly controlled can lead to emergency hospital admissions and avoidable deaths. Many people still rely on paper-based action plans, which are easily lost or forgotten. Digital tools like Digital Health Passport aim to keep essential information accessible, usable and relevant — particularly for children, young people, parents and carers.

Some platforms, including Digital Health Passport, are also able to share information with healthcare professionals, helping make consultations more efficient and focused.

Focus on inequality and confidence

NICE highlighted that people living in more deprived areas are three times more likely to experience worse asthma outcomes, underlining the importance of tools that support confidence, self-management and access to personalised support.

Early evidence reviewed by NICE suggests digital asthma platforms can:

• Improve asthma control scores
• Reduce hospital visits
• Help people use their medication more effectively
• Increase confidence in managing their condition

Users also report that the technologies are easy to use and fit better into everyday life than paper-based approaches.

A long-term journey of evidence and partnership

For Tiny Medical Apps, the recommendation reflects years of sustained collaboration with NHS partners, clinicians, researchers and families.

Greg Burch, Emergency Medicine Doctor and Co-founder of Tiny Medical Apps, said:

It's always encouraging when multiple initiatives come together and show what's possible. We're delighted to see Digital Health Passport recognised through NICE's draft guidance. This is an important step — but not the end of the journey. Our focus now is on scaling and improving the platform further, generating the next phase of evidence, and maximising impact for teenagers at highest risk. We've really valued our partnership with UCLPartners over the past four years, which has been central to getting us to this point.

Digital Health Passport was initially developed to support asthma care and is now expanding into epilepsy and holistic wellbeing, shaped by co-design with young people, families, clinicians and charity partners.

What happens next

The NICE draft guidance is open for consultation until 21 January 2026, after which NICE will review feedback from healthcare professionals, patients and the public. Following the three-year evidence generation period, NICE will decide whether to recommend these digital platforms for routine NHS use.

For Tiny Medical Apps and its partners, the recommendation reinforces a long-held belief: that clinically safe, co-designed digital tools can play a meaningful role in reducing risk, improving confidence, and supporting better outcomes — particularly for young people living with long-term conditions.