Pitchfest finalist Little Journey launches app at Walsall hospital

A child-friendly app from Digital Health Rewired Pitchfest finalist Little Journey has gone live at Walsall Manor Hospital to help young patients prepare for surgery or treatment.

Little Journey reached the 2022 finals of the annual Pitchfest competition for digital health startups, for its digital eSupport platform designed to psychologically prepare, inform and support children and families before, during and after healthcare interactions.

Walsall Manor Hospital in the West Midlands launched the Little Journey app on 1 August 2024, funded through Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust’s charity, Well Wishers.

The app features interactive tours, articles, and games providing engaging, accessible and age-appropriate information to help children and their carers understand what will happen during a hospital stay.

Garry Perry, associate director patient voice – experience, at Walsall Healthcare, said: “A hospital visit or stay can be daunting for anyone but especially for children and young people, many of whom won’t have used healthcare services before.

“Little Journey is a really helpful way of guiding them through what to expect well ahead – explaining what will happen in a straightforward way and helping to take away a lot of the nervousness they feel.

“It is also invaluable for parents and carers trying to support their children through what is a worrying time for the whole family”.

Little Journey’s site success team collaborated closely with Walsall to configure personalised tours and train staff on the features within the app, which is free through the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.

Sophie Copley, cofounder and chief product officer at Little Journey told Digital Health News that the startup is working with Walsall on an annual subscription and will maintain a close working relationship with the hospital to increase app uptake and engagement.

“Walsall staff can rely on the Little Journey app as a trusted tool to support families 24/7.

“Studies show the app offers a significant return on investment for hospitals by reducing on-the-day cancellations, the need for premedication, and recovery time.

“For patients, the app is linked to improved quality of life, better outcomes, and greater satisfaction with their hospital experience, with 93% of users reporting that the app reduced their child’s anxiety,” Copley said.

Since, competing in Pitchfest in 2022, Little Journey has been awarded grants, including £2.09 million from the LEGO Foundation’s Play for All Accelerator and £493,000 from the Small Business Research Initiative Healthcare.

Little Journey is now used in more than 100 hospitals and healthcare organisations across 11 countries, with content available in 20 languages, and is working with three global pharmaceutical companies to support families participating in paediatric clinical trials.

The company is also preparing to launch the Little Journey app at four NHS trusts and several international hospitals.

Meanwhile, Pitchfest finalist Healthtech-1 announced in July that it has raised £2.7 million in a seed funding round for its technology which automates administration tasks in primary care.

Digital Health has announced the judges for its next Pitchfest competition which will take place at Rewired 2025 at the NEC in Birmingham, 18-19 March 2025.