Monthly app and mobile round up

This month’s app round-up covers technology giant Google making more waves in the digital health market, an app that aims to help emergency services staff reach patients quickly, and one health technology company winning awards in the West Midlands.

Google buys health monitoring start-up

Google has made a further move into the health market, by purchasing digital health start-up, Senosis Health. The company, founded by University of Washington computer scientist Shwetak Patel, created technology that turned smartphones into health monitoring devices.

Revealed by GeekWire on Sunday (13 August), the purchase continues Google’s interest in the healthcare arena. In the UK, the most high profile foray into health IT that Google has made is through its artificial intelligence (AI) subsidiary, DeepMind Health, which has caused controversy for its app deployment at the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust.

An app for lifesavers

CommonTime have launched its First Response app that allows community lifesavers access to real-time data in an emergency service’s computer aided dispatch (CAD) system. The supplier is working with an NHS ambulance trust on the product, which it will roll out later in the year.

The app alerts staff to an incident if they are geographically nearby, while on their shift. Once the notification has been acknowledged, a responder can let the dispatch operators know they are on their way.

Andrew Brinkworth, head of operations at CommonTime, says: “With a simple, clean user interface and a common data structure we can ensure a tight integration to CAD systems allowing the time of volunteers to be directed where it is most important – with the patient.”

Sensely wins NHS award

Sensely’s Ask NHS app, that allows you to book an appointment and ask about symptoms, has won an award for its work in collaboration with the West Midlands clinical commissioning groups (CCG). Digital Health News previously highlighted the six month pilot in NHS Dudley CCG, who was using an AI avatar in a virtual nurse mobile triage app.

Awarded the Industry Collaboration Award at the West Midlands Academic Health Science Network Celebration of Innovation Awards, the technology provides full technical integration with the West Midlands NHS 111 Clinical Assessment Service, the NHS National Directory of Services (DoS), EMIS Web and NHS Choices.

Rachel Ellis, chief officer for integrated urgent care, NHS West Midlands, said: “Patients across the region can now download the app to assess their symptoms and in the event further Clinical Advice is required then they will be navigated through to our local 111 service.”