Liva Healthcare partners up with Care City UK for NHS Test Beds

Liva Healthcare has partnered up with Care City UK as part of the NHS Test Bed Programme.

Originally setup by the North East London NHS Foundation Trust and the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, Care City has a dual focus on innovation supporting healthy ageing and regeneration.

The partnership will see digital health platform, Liva Healthcare, working with GP practices to deliver a nine-month sustainable behavioural change programme to patients newly diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes.

Liva Healthcare has been chosen as part of six innovative organisations which supply diagnostic, smartphone applications and management tools.

The company together with Care City, will enable healthcare assistants and other non-clinical staff within primary care to become ‘digital prescribers’.

This is where medication is supported by digital technology and lifestyle intervention, helping prevent chronic illness by driving sustainable lifestyle behaviour change.

John Craig, chief executive of Care City, said: “Patients want to take a more active role in managing their own health.

“Our partnership with Liva Healthcare responds well to exactly this need and we are excited to see what positive, long-term outcomes flourish from this collaboration.”

Funded by NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care, the Test Bed programme is focussed bringing NHS organisations and industry partners together to test combinations of digital technologies that can support an ageing population.

In October 2018, it was announced the second wave of the programme would be focused on tackling cancer, diabetes and unnecessary hospital visits.

Rose Connolly, a health coach for the programme, adds: “A strong and personal relationship based on trust, be that with a GP or health professional, is the most important driver for longer-term lifestyle changes for patients.

“It’s exciting to see that digital tools like Liva Healthcare have been specifically developed to enable these relationships for patients suffering chronic lifestyle diseases like Type 2 diabetes.

“It’s fantastic that the programme allows for such a tailored and personal approach to each patient’s well-being needs, allowing for the best possible health outcomes.”