Digital Health Coffee Time Briefing ☕

Your morning summary of digital health news, information and events to know about if you want to be “in the know”.

👇 News

🏆 Technology-led home care provider Cera has picked up a Tech for Good Award at the UK Tech Awards. Cera’s platform uses preventative technology and AI to keep elderly and vulnerable individuals out of hospital by predicting and preventing falls – the leading cause of hospitalisations in older adults. The award was announced at a ceremony in London, where Cera was also recognised for its productivity-enhancing tools for carers and its wider impact on the health and social care sectors. Cera’s founder Dr Ben Maruthappu has also been awarded the EY Entrepreneur of the Year Award. 

🩻 Imager technology that could significantly improve cancer care for patients is being piloted at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust. The AURA 10 mobile PET-CT imager, built by German manufacturer XEOS, enables surgeons to scan tissue specimens during a procedure to determine whether all of a tumour has been removed. The device prevents the need for specimens to be taken to radiology or pathology laboratories for examination, boosting surgical outcomes for patients.

🚀 Stroke patients are being invited to take part in a trial led by Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and the University of Sheffield to explore whether a portable, pacemaker-like device could help them regain arm strength. The £2m TRICEPS trial uses a new treatment called transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation to deliver mild electrical pulses to the brain, which stimulates stroke-damaged areas of the brain. It is hoped that the technology could transform the lives of people left with permanent arm weakness after a stroke.

🔬 Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has launched a clinical research unit to help staff support more studies that improve care for patients. The trust received £40,000 of funding from the Clinical Research Network – North West Coast to create the facility at Leighton Hospital, transforming a former hub building near to the site’s treatment centre. The clinical research unit will create extra capacity so the team can offer a wider range of trials, particularly in the area of life sciences.

🤖 Staff from Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust’s Cancer and Clinical Support (CCS) services have been showcasing how AI tools are being used to treat patients across the trust sooner. The CCS Congress at Queen’s Hospital saw around 50 departments gather to learn how the CCS team is working with various wards and departments, including oncology, radiotherapy and sickle cell and thalassaemia.

❓Did you know?

A study by UCLPartners, published by Tiny Medical Apps on 14 November 2024, found that the Digital Health Passport (DHP) tool, which brings self-management tools for asthma into one platform, could save the NHS up to £25m annually if 100,000 asthma patients used the tool for three months. 

According to the report, more than 65% of current DHP users are under 25, with 50% from deprived communities. Users saw an average increase of 2.24 points in their asthma control test score, helping move them towards well-controlled asthma and potentially delivering a return on investment of £9.28 for every £1 spent.

Kate Cheema, director of evaluation and insights at UCLPartners, said: “Robust evaluation is crucial for the success of any healthcare innovation.

“This evaluation has indicated that using the DHP for asthma has a positive impact on the experience and outcomes of young people and provided learning for Tiny Medical Apps on the methods used to build patients knowledge and confidence in managing their condition.”

📖 What we’re reading

The King’s Fund report, NHS and life sciences industry partnerships: Collaborating to improve care, published on 18 December 2024, explores how partnerships between the NHS and the life sciences sector can benefit patient care. 

Through four case studies, the report highlights the potential for these partnerships to bring in expertise and resources that the NHS might otherwise struggle to access. It also addresses the inherent scepticism around the motives of industry partners, emphasising the need to build trust and strengthen these relationships in order for partnership to work.

Key recommendations include increasing NHS leadership in partnership oversight and creating clear, accessible guidance for collaboration.

Siva Anandaciva, chief analyst at The King’s Fund and co-author of the report, said: “Ministers often cite life sciences as a jewel in the crown of UK industry, but UK patients are not seeing the full benefits of having such global expertise on their doorstep.

“The government’s stated missions include building an NHS fit for the future and kick-starting economic growth. Both can be helped by enabling more partnerships between the NHS and life sciences sector.”

🚨 Upcoming events

28 November, Berlin – Digital Health Conference