DoH spends £29,000 on iPhone apps

The user figures for the world cup app means it has cost the taxpayer £2.80 for each free download so far – more than the paid-for cost of many apps. In a parliamentary written answer published on 28 October 2010, Burns said that NHS Choices has also spent £10,000 each on an application that helps people to calculate the alcohol units in drinks and a quit smoking app. The quit smoking app has been downloaded 22,911 times from March to August of this year, costing 43p per user. The most successful application out the three to date is the NHS drink tracker, which was downloaded 163,983 times from December 2009 to August 2010, costing 6p per user. A spokesperson for the DoH told SmartHealthcare.com: "While the government wants to ensure that information and services are available in the most efficient and convenient forms, future spend on iPhone development are subject to strict controls." The department launched the quit smoking app, which provides hints and tips to manage cravings, in March. The world cup fan fitness application was introduced in June to coincide with the football tournament, but will continue to run through the current football season. The alcohol app was launched in December 2009.