The UK's NHS plans on giving out 'millions' of smartwatches and smart rings – here's what we expect

The UK’s National Health Service is going to attempt to be a whole lot smarter, with the aid of some of the best smartwatches, best fitness trackers, and even best smart rings it can afford to give out to patients to help them monitor their own health.

With the full plan set to be revealed later today (21 October), the UK Health Secretary Wes Streeting intends to roll out a scheme to distribute smart devices such as smartwatches and smart rings. Reports in the UK’s The Independent and The Daily Telegraph claim “millions” of the devices will be given out to patients to help monitor their own health independently.

Early reports claim these devices can help diabetes patients to track blood sugar levels on their phone, or high blood pressure sufferers to get regular updates on how they’re doing.

Smart rings like the Oura Ring 4 could be given out to cancer patients to monitor their vital signs, a scheme which has been trialed with success in Greater Manchester.

The move is part of a 10 year plan to modernize the UK’s NHS, which also aims to prioritise “community-led” treatment with new local clinics as well as updating the NHS’s technological infrastructure.

What devices will be up for grabs?

(Image credit: Shutterstock / Andrey_Popov)

It’s unclear right now, but there are several clues in these early reports. The use of blood pressure monitors makes me think of the Huawei Watch D, which is a smartwatch with a strap specifically designed to act as an inflatable cuff.

This method is generally more accurate than using LEDs to monitor blood pressure, which has historically been very inaccurate on smartwatches in the past. Although more modern devices such as the Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 can reportedly do it, we have yet to test them against inflatable cuffs. If the NHS were to strike a deal with Samsung, however, it would probably also give out Galaxy Rings to help cancer patients monitor their own vitals.

The use of blood glucose monitoring for diabetics makes me believe that continuous glucose monitors connected to an app, such as Lingo or Zoey, will be made available on the UK’s NHS too.

Smartwatches have tons of medical applications. The best Apple Watches, for example, can present medical information on your wrist, notify you if your heart is behaving out of its normal range, and notify emergency services during a car crash. Our senior entertainment writer Lucy Buglass rushed to the hospital after her partner received a high heart-rate alert, and you can read her story here.