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Following improved access and optimisation of the website, the NICE guidance app will no longer be available for download with plans to phase it out by January 2019.

The NICE Guidance app was developed in 2012 to support the mobile working needs of healthcare professionals. In an effort to make guidance more accessible, offline capabilities were introduced which allowed users to download recommendations that they could access later without internet.

Following a comprehensive internal review, a decision has been made to retire the app with users encouraged to access the NICE website via their mobiles and tablets instead. A survey NICE carried out among app users found that browsing, searching and navigating NICE guidance were the main reasons for using the app. All of these functions can easily be done on the NICE site. Using the website rather than the app will ensure that the most up to date recommendations are used. Until the app is retired, users are urged to regularly update content on the app to ensure they are getting the most up-to-date information.

For the last three years, the website has seen a steady increase in numbers of those who access content via mobile devices whereas app usage has remained relatively stagnant. As websites become more optimised for mobiles and tablets, this trend is expected to continue.

NICE will continue to update the content of the app until it is retired. Messages will be sent to existing users to let them know the app is being phased out and encouraging them to use the website instead. NICE will finally turn the app off on 31stDecember 2018. After that there will be no further data updates and the app will no longer be available. We will be informing users of our plans via notification message on the app itself, social media and our newsletters.

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NICE Evidence Resources Director Alexia Tonnel said:

“We have worked hard in recent years to make the NICE website optimised for mobile devices and we are continuously improving the system to ensure users will be able to access the information at all times. 

“It’s important that users have the most up to date guidance readily available at the touch of a button so that they can make well-informed health decisions. It therefore makes sense to focus attention on the website rather than the app.”