The NHS has unveiled plans to accelerate adoption of mHealth devices and apps in the UK.

Announced by head of the English health service Simon Stevens at the NHS Confederation Conference, the plans will make self-care technology available to patients for free, starting in 2017.

“The NHS has a proud track record of world firsts in medical innovation – think hip replacements, IVF, vaccinations and organ transplants to name just a few. But then getting wide uptake has often been slow and frustrating,” said Stevens. “Now – at a time when the NHS is under pressure – rather than just running harder to stand still, it’s time to grab with both hands these practical new treatments and technologies.

“In the rest of our lives we’re seeing the difference that innovative tech makes, and now the NHS will have a streamlined way of getting ground-breaking and practical new technologies into the hands of patients and our frontline nurses, doctors and other staff. By doing that, we can transform people’s lives.”

Examples of what this move could introduce include MyCOPD, an app with for sufferers of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder; AliveCor, a mobile ECG monitor for detecting heart arrhythmias; and PneuX, a cuffed ventilation tube and inflating device which is used to electronically monitor patients breathing in intensive care to prevent bacteria leaking into the lungs.