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

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has opened a market engagement, calling for input from care technology suppliers, innovators and start-ups to support the development and implementation of new national standards for care technology. Although DHSC states that there is “no procurement currently planned”, it does note that anyone providing input will be playing a key role in helping to develop policies to support greater independence and improved quality of life for individuals, through high-quality care technology.

Doctor Care Anywhere has launched a new website, showcasing its expanded range of healthcare services. As well as its 24/7 virtual GP appointments the site offers access to health assessments; physiotherapy support; mental health services; and specialist care pathways.

Tunstall Healthcare has launched its digital warden call system, Communicall Digital. The solution aims to give users more independence while helping to alleviate some of the burden for retirement and supported living staff. Communicall Digital enables residents to manage door entry and room-to-room video calls, via a touchscreen room unit. The room unit’s illuminated alarm button can be activated by residents in the event of an emergency.

Five UK health tech innovation companies travelled to the US to gain market information, regulatory guidance, market access modelling and first-hand experience from the US Market Access Programme. The programme was organised between UK life sciences organisation Medilink and Medical Alley in Minnesota, US. Participants included representatives from Class Medical Ltd and Panacea, who spent a week in Minnesota to participate in workshops. The programme also included a week spent attending online digital sessions and a third week providing a platform for showcasing pitches to potential contacts and partners.

Levitas Clinic London is collaborating with Aera, an AI-powered medical intelligence platform. The partnership will bring together Aera’s intelligent platform with the founder of Levitas Clinic London, Dr Ash Kapoor’s methodology to create a real-time health plan design tool for doctors. The tool is planned to structure huge amounts of clinical and lifestyle data into personalised health plans.

Did you know

Sleep quality in athletes could be improved with Graphic Interchange Formats (GIFs), according to research out of the University of Kent’s School of Natural Sciences.

A team of researchers from the University, worked with professional footballers from the Women’s Super League to assess self-reported areas of sleep hygiene that needed improvement. They then designed GIFs that would deliver a singular sleep hygiene message which were sent alongside a short text to recipients every evening for two weeks.

Messages were deliberately kept short and included ‘screens away 30 minutes before bed’ and ‘replace caffeinated drink with non-caffeinated herbal tea or water’.

Following the GIF interventions the female footballers reported improvements in their sleep habits by the close of the nine-week study.

The research paper ‘The use of individualised, media-based sleep hygiene education for professional female footballers’ was published in the European Journal of Sport Science in January 2025.

What we’re reading

After six years of research, the Ada Lovelace Institute’s report, ‘Learn Fast and Build Things’, published on 14 March 2025, reveals critical lessons for the public sector’s AI adoption.

The research took in more than 30 reports and research publications and the resulting briefing sets out lessons for success to support the acceleration of AI in policymaking and public services.

The key lessons it highlights include: the need to contextualise AI; to learn what works; to deliver on public expectations and public sector values; and to think beyond the technology.

It emphasises the need for clear AI definitions, acknowledging data limitations and societal impacts, and moving beyond technical focus.

The report highlights a significant gap in understanding AI deployment within government, hindering accountability and knowledge sharing. It calls for rigorous AI effectiveness evaluations, transparent procurement and robust governance to ensure both safety and fairness.

It urges a shift from automation to reimagining public services with a citizen-centric approach, acknowledging the broad societal consequences of AI and the necessity of public trust and ethical considerations.

Ada Lovelace Institute’s new strategy is to place the AI agenda at its heart and consider “how and where AI can be deployed in ways that benefit public benefit, while balancing the needs of services, the public and the state.”

Upcoming events

27- 28 March 2025, London — British Institute of Radiology’s AI Congress 2025