I was delighted to learn a few days ago that an app we developed with partners has been shortlisted for a prestigious national award.

The app in question is called CATCH, which stands for Common Approach to Children’s Health. Its purpose is to help parents and carers of children aged 0-5 look after their little ones when they fall ill and to seek medical advice when necessary.

CATCH is in the running for a Health Service Journal award for using technology to improve healthcare. Winners will be announced at a ceremony in London on November 22 – so keep an eye on this column for news of how we fared.

The app was developed by Liverpool-based health technology studio in line with requirements laid down by the CCG with Cheshire East Council and NHS South Cheshire CCG.

CATCH provides:

• NHS-approved health advice

• highly-localised information about healthcare services and support groups in Cheshire East

• timely notifications about key health dates such as childhood immunisations

• an interactive map of Cheshire East healthcare services such as GP surgeries,dentists and pharmacies.

The app is also highly personalised as parents can input their child’s date of birth and it will only present health information and reminders that are relevant to their child’s age.

And CATCH seems to be working, as a recent survey of users found that 91 per cent would recommend the app to a friend or family member while 48 per cent had not attended A&E with their child since downloading the app.

These findings show that the app is not only helping parents take great care of their children but is also reducing avoidable hospital activity, which is good news for people needing urgent and emergency care.

The success of CATCH is such that it has recently been adopted by Widnes-based NHS Halton CCG and Halton Borough Council too.

We developed the app after research by Cheshire East Council’s public health team found that the number of children aged 0-4 being taken to A&E in the local authority area was well above the national average and that many of the children were being sent home with basic advice and information only.

For more information on CATCH or to download it, visit catchapp.co.uk.