Helping DHSC deliver and continuously improve public health services

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) operates at scale, delivering services that people reply on important moments - from accessing health guidance, using a public health tool, or engaging with a government service for the first time.

That places real responsibility on public sector delivery teams. Services need to be reliable, secure and accessible - not just at launch, but as they continue to evolve.

Our role is to support that through ongoing BAU delivery across quality assurance, digital accessibility and penetration testing. This runs alongside live release cycles and delivery plans as part of how services are supported day-to-day. And it gives DHSC access to specialist expertise, alongside a consistent point of coordination through their dedicated Test Delivery Manager.

Over time, that continuity helps build a shared understanding of each service - making it easier to spot risks early and giving teams confidence in what they’re releasing.

A model shaped around how DHSC works

We support DHSC through a G-Cloud contract that gives them flexible access to our full range of services as needed. It’s a model we’ve written about in more detail in our thinking on getting the most out of G-Cloud contracts, and how clarity and collaboration help make frameworks work effectively in practice.

A dedicated Test Delivery Manager coordinates all activity across our areas of responsibility and works closely with DHSC teams through regular check-ins. This keeps our delivery aligned with their roadmap and helps identify where our support will have the most value.

It means DHSC can flex access to the right expertise at the right time, while retaining full ownership of their roadmap and delivery decisions. It’s a simple model - designed to reduce friction, not add process.

Most importantly, it helps teams focus on building and releasing services, supported by independent feedback and assurance. For DHSC, that means helping ensure:

• Sensitive citizen and organisational data are protected from cyber threats.
• Services are usable for everyone, including disabled and older users.
• Services are aligned with the Government Digital Service (GDS) Standard and are prepared for service assessments.
• Products are supported through IT Health Checks (ITHC) and wider accreditation requirements.
• Accessibility requirements are met in line with the Public Sector Bodies Accessibility Regulations (PSBAR).
• Findings and insights support governance, assurance and decision-making.

Supporting a wide range of public services

Over the years, we’ve supported a broad portfolio of DHSC services - each with different users, needs and delivery challenges.

During COVID-19, we supported dashboards that needed to perform under high demand, helping ensure they remained reliable and accessible when public information mattered most.

We’ve also worked extensively on the Couch to 5K app, supporting multiple iterations over time - testing new features, validating updates, and sharing feedback and recommendations as the service continued to evolve, including accessibility considerations across the experience. This work included collaboration with specialist accessibility partners and user research input, helping ensure changes were grounded in how people actually use the service.

Alongside this, we’ve supported other services including the Drink Free Days app, the Food Scanner app, and Talk to Frank. Across all of these, the focus remains the same: helping delivery teams deliver public services that people can rely on.

Why it works

What makes this partnership effective is continuity, collaboration and shared focus.

A dedicated Test Delivery Manager provides visibility across all activities, helping keep delivery aligned and priorities clear. At the same time, access to specialist teams ensures the right expertise is available when needed.

This balance supports steady BAU delivery while allowing flexibility as priorities shift. It helps keep quality, accessibility and security consistently supported as services evolve.

Summary

Our work with the Department of Health and Social Care shows how the right support can help teams deliver better digital public services.

By working in close collaboration with delivery teams and bringing in specialist expertise where it’s needed, we help keep services stable as they grow and change - supporting the delivery of public health services that are dependable, inclusive and ready to meet people’s needs when it matters most.

That same combination of testing, accessibility work and user insight is what shapes how services like Couch to 5K evolve over time.