Engaging with the UK Digital Health Industry: Getting Health Data Analytics onto the Map

March 5, 2016 | by

The Health KTN and UK Health Data Analytics Network (UK-HDAN) invite practitioners and industry experts to attend one of their regional workshops to contribute to a UK health data analytics roadmap for funders and policy-makers.

There is general recognition that health data analytics will play a critical role in transforming health and social care, but relatively poor understanding of the current UK landscape, research priorities and barriers to translation. Their aim is to provide a clear statement of opportunities and challenges that will help shape a national action plan for health data analytics.

The UK-HDAN is a newly formed community of health data scientists (current membership 350) working together to map the landscape and inform a national strategy for health data analytics research. They are particularly keen to (more…)

Ileana Welte – more information

February 28, 2016 | by

Following our note a week ago announcing the deeply distressing news about Ileana’s sudden death, we have received many tributes to her. We thought therefore that readers might also be interested in:

We are expecting a tribute shortly from Bosch to add to this, and also information on her memorial service, so please check back regularly.

In the meantime, in the words of Sylvia Christie of BWW, please do share if you feel able to – tributes to Ileana are proving a great comfort to her family.

TSA appoints Paul Burstow as Senior Adviser (UK)

February 24, 2016 | by

The former Minister of State for Care Services, Chief Whip of the Liberal Democrats and MP for Sutton and Cheam, Rt Hon Paul Burstow, has been appointed as Senior Advisor for the TSA to help drive forward strategy across the technology enabled care industry and shape the organisation’s future work programmes.

He said: “My role with the TSA is to bring my knowledge of the wider health and social care sector, the key players in the National Health Service and use that information to help connect the Association into conversations.

“TSA don’t operate in a vacuum, they have to be put into a context of people’s everyday lives, and also in the context of what other commissioners and service providers in the NHS and in social care and in housing need. What I bring is expertise and knowledge of that landscape and I can help TSA navigate it.”

There’s more here.

The Accelerated Access Review – a personal journey

February 23, 2016 | by
[grow_thumb image=”https://telecareaware.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/AAR-logo.jpg” thumb_width=”200″ /]The Accelerated Access Review (AAR) aims to speed up access by NHS patients to innovative medicines, medtech and diagnostics, and digital health. Of these, digital health is the newest, and because it enables care to be delivered in a far more efficient and patient-centric way, offers great hope for the future of improved patient outcomes and controlled costs.

As someone outside government who was drawn into the digital health stream of the AAR, this blog aims to capture key learnings from the experience.

Challenges

The initial list of obstacles to innovation in the NHS was depressingly long, until carefully differentiated. Top of the pile were items like the NHS’s asymmetric attitude to risk – successful innovations are forgotten, unsuccessful innovations are a life sentence for those involved – which are soluble only by those at the very top.

Then there were the surmountable challenges – for example the fear, uncertainty and doubt over digital health regulation was overcome by (more…)

Ileana Welte

February 20, 2016 | by | 18 Comments

– Many readers will be deeply saddened to know that Ileana Welte died of a heart attack last Wednesday whilst travelling on the Tube in London.

Many will know her from her long time working in Bosch in the UK, where she was particularly associated with the NHS Direct telehealth service, and more recently her management of the UK side of Big White Wall where she was doing a brilliant job driving the uptake of digital health in the NHS to help treat people with mental health problems.

She will be very sorely missed; her untimely death has come as a huge shock to many.

We will shortly be publishing a larger article with contributions from Bosch, Big White Wall and from ex NHS Direct colleagues – other contributions will be gratefully received. We will also publish news of her funeral/memorial services when received.

 

London’s Health Technology Forum is looking for a patient treated by precision medicine

February 15, 2016 | by

The Health Technology Forum needs your help.

For our upcoming panel session on Wednesday 24th February entitled Precision Medicine: From vision to reality, the organiser Mark Bartlett, Geneix’s CEO, is looking for a brave individual who has been treated using a precision medicine technique. This could be having had a test, genetic or otherwise, to understand the root cause of their disease or which medication/chemotherapy would be most appropriate. This is a fantastic opportunity to share your story and motivate an engaged audience, driven to solve healthcare’s most complex problems.

If you are interested please send Mark an email on mark@geneix.com with a short description of your treatment.

Even if you cannot help, do come and join us for what will be a brilliant (free) evening in the company of Mark and his co-host Elizabeth Hampson, Senior Manager (Healthcare Strategy) at Deloitte Consulting, and with Baker Botts’ legendary hospitality to follow.

Seeking input from mHealth stakeholders: 6th Global mHealth App Developer Economics Study

February 14, 2016 | by

[grow_thumb image=”https://telecareaware.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/r2g-logo-blue.jpg” thumb_width=”150″ /]Research2guidance is inviting stakeholders from across the industry to share their experiences of working with and in mHealth to find out what is proving successful today and what might prove successful in the near future. Last year, over 5,000 industry experts participated in this study for the largest study on the global mHealth market. (TTA was a media partner for last year’s study.)

For the 6th edition of the Global mHealth App Developer Economics study, they are keen to find out:

  • Which business models are most effective to succeed in mHealth today?
  • Which app categories are most successful in meeting the demands of both patients and investors?
  • What does the relationship between Health Insurers and mHealth look like in 2016?

In return they are offering participants:

  • The chance to view initial results immediately after completing the survey
  • A free copy of the mHealth App Developer Economics 2016 report

Take the survey here. 

For anyone who has not read it yet, the excellent 2015 survey is here. (Their key findings from last November are here.) R2G press release 

Exploring how best to use telehealth to manage COPD – can you help?

February 3, 2016 | by

Anyone working in telehealth knows that, of the principal long term conditions to which it is applied, COPD is the most problematic, with many telehealth trials showing no significant benefit. However in various meetings, Dr Julia Bott has tantalised me by suggesting that she and Dr Hilary Pinnock may know how to use telehealth more effectively.

Therefore, on 3rd March, we are holding a small, free, meeting at the Royal Society of Medicine in London from 3pm-5pm to examine how telehealth can be used to manage people with COPD better. Present will be both Dr Hilary Pinnock (University of Edinburgh) and Dr Julia Bott (University of Surrey).

So far we have senior representatives from two major telehealth organisations attending and probably need at least three more. If you are interested, please do email this editor, charles.lowe@btinternet.com, explaining why you’d like to join us for what I suspect may prove to be a groundbreaking event.

Three of the best – digital health events at the Royal Society of Medicine for 2016

January 28, 2016 | by

The Royal Society of Medicine has two unbeatable benefits to offer conference attendees: virtually every world expert is keen to present there and, because it is a medical education charity, charges are heavily subsidised. As a result you get the most bang for your buck of any independent digital health event, anywhere!

And just now the offer is even more attractive as if you book for all three in the next 14 days (ie by 12th February) the RSM will give you a 10% discount on all three!

On February 25th, the RSM is holding their first 2016 conference: Recent developments in digital health. This is the fourth time they have run this popular event which aims to update attendees about particularly important new digital heath advances. For me the highlight will be Chris Elliott of Leman Micro who plans to demonstrate working smartphones that can measure all the key vital signs apart from weight without any peripheral – that includes systolic & diastolic blood pressure, as well as one-lead ECG, pulse, respiration rate and temperature. When these devices are widely available, they will dramatically affect health care delivery worldwide – particularly self-care – dramatically. See it first at the RSM!

I’d also highlight speakers such as Beverley Bryant, Director of Digital Technology NHS England, Mustafa Suleyman, Head of Applied Artificial Intelligence at Google DeepMind (who’ll hopefully tell us a bit about introducing deep learning in to Babylon), Prof Tony Young, National Clinical Director for Innovation, NHS England and Dr Ameet Bakhai, Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust. It’s going to be a brilliant day!

Book here.

On April 7th the RSM is holding Medical apps: mainstreaming innovation, also in its fourth year. Last year the election caused last minute cancellations by both NICE & the MHRA, who are making up for that with two high-level presentations. Among a panoply of other excellent speakers, I’m personally looking forward especially to (more…)

International Summer School Integrated Care (ISSIC) 27 June – 01 July

January 24, 2016 | by

The International Summer School on Integrated Care, “Integrated Care in Theory and Practice” is organised by the International Foundation for Integrated Care’s Integrated Care Academy©. It will run from 27 June – 01 July at Wolfson College, University of Oxford, UK.

It will provide a week of intensive training on theory and practice of integrated care. It is aimed at health and social care professionals, clinicians, researchers and managers who want to strengthen their understanding of integrated care, get a comprehensive overview of the state of the art in theory & practice, and hone their competencies in analyzing, designing, evaluating and practising integrated care.

It is eligible for Continuous Professional Development (CPD) or Continuous Medical Education (CME) credits for professionals and managers. (more…)

European Alliance for Innovation Summit, Budapest, 14-16 June 2016

January 22, 2016 | by

The European Alliance for Innovation (EAI) is holding its International Summit focused on eHealth (eHealth360°) from the 14th-16th June 2016 in Budapest, Hungary.

The summit is claimed to be a unique event bringing a 360 degree perspective on mobile and electronic health. It will gather experiences and innovative ideas from related projects and activities, to draw out the process of moving from innovative research to commercialization.

It aims to be a powerful and inspirational event that brings together industry representatives, researchers, vendors, mHealth and eHealth domain experts, clinicians, developers and others to plan, learn, network, collaborate, strategise and tap more effectively into the immense potential of the eHealth and mHealth domains. It will comprise (more…)

Free entry to UCL’s Rosalind Franklin Appathon at Wayra – Tuesday 23rd Feb

January 21, 2016 | by

UCL is delighted to invite you to join them at Wayra, London for their Prize and Tech Day on Tuesday 23rd February at 14.30-19.00 as part of the Rosalind Franklin Appathon- a national app competition to empower and recognise women as leaders in STEMM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths and Medicine).

This free event will include some short talks from the judges, UCL Provost Professor Michael Arthur and a very special guest talk from Rosalind Franklin’s sister, author and historian Professor Jenifer Glynn. We will then hear pitches from the app finalists. Winners will be announced by Baroness Martha Lane Fox (Founder of Lastminute.com), Andrew Eland (Director of Social Impact Engineering, Google) and Dame Athene Donald (Professor of Experimental Physics at the University of Cambridge). There will also be plenty of time for networking and a chance to try out some of the apps. More information can be found here .

Do join UCL in celebrating the breadth of digital talent here in the UK and the pioneering women behind some truly innovative and exciting apps by registering for the event here.

Large Leeds rollout: is this NHS acceptance that apps can sometimes replace drugs?

January 18, 2016 | by

A new app that can replace expensive, side effect-prone, drugs has been developed by Yorkshire tech company ADI (disclosure which manages the admin for this editor as Managing Director of DHACA, and provides one of DHACA’s three Directors), with assistance from Harrogate-based Inhealthcare.  It is set to ease the burden on the NHS, alleviating daily chronic pain, initially available for some 7,000 patients it Leeds, making it one of the largest digital health services to be commissioned in the UK.

The app, called Painsense, will be free for patients to use. It gives them the knowledge, skills and guidance to manage their pain, which should reduce the need to visit their GP or hospital. It will be rolled out across other regions of the UK within the next six months.

(more…)

Pitch@Palace 5.0 – a great opportunity for digital health entrepreneurs!

January 5, 2016 | by

pitchaTPALACE logoPitch@Palace 5.0 will be held at St James’s Palace on Monday 7th March 2016.

The preliminary Pitch@Palace Boot Camp will take place on Monday 22nd February, 2016 at the University of Cambridge. To participate in Pitch@Palace 5.0 you must be available to attend the Pitch@Palace Boot Camp.

Pitch@Palace Boot Camp will provide 42 entrepreneurs with the opportunity to hear from leading industry experts and Pitch@Palace alumni, as well as receiving support and mentoring. All participants are asked to prepare a three minute Pitch for a panel of judges, who will select between 12 to 15 entrepreneurs to pitch at St. James’s Palace on the 7th March.

All entrepreneurs attending Pitch@Palace Boot Camp will be invited to attend Pitch@Palace 5.0 and will have the opportunity to meet guests at the event.

Entry is open to entrepreneurs in the following categories: Agriculture, Food Sciences, Plant Sciences, Research Technologies, Diagnostics, Therapeutics, Medical Devices and Big Data and Healthcare. Businesses must be UK-based.

In addition to the mandatory Boot Camp, there are two optional ‘on tour’ events in London (26th January) and Manchester (2nd February).

Entries close 15th January – for more details, and to apply, click here.

The Duke of York founded Pitch@Palace – more background information is here.

Ten years on from the WSD: is the future brighter for telehealth? Can wind farms help?

January 4, 2016 | by

As Prof Mike Short pointed out recently, 2016 is the tenth anniversary of the start of the Whole System Demonstrator (WSD) programme that in retrospect, because of poor trial design, probably slowed the uptake of digital health in the UK more than any other single action. It seems appropriate therefore to look at how telehealth* has fared over that period, and perhaps even more importantly, is poised for the next ten years.

The mistakes of the WSD are well documented (eg here, here & here) – suffice it to say that it proved beyond all reasonable doubt, at least to this editor, that unlike medicine-based interventions, which seem less sensitive to their care pathway, digital health delivers most of its benefit through enabling a different, patient-centred care delivery, so every digital health intervention needs to be evaluated holistically, and in its own care pathway. Sadly over the ten years, much of the academic work looking at the benefits of telehealth has continued to evaluate the technology in the time-honoured way that medicines have been evaluated, with predictably largely equivocal results.

Those of us who have delivered telehealth projects though have a sense of disconnect as, time and again, a focused implementation – not a pilot – in which the staff delivering the service understand that it will be a permanent change for which they need radically to change the way they deliver care, yields huge returns on investments through savings typically in the 50-90% region. (more…)

Are you a doctor interested in helping design healthy buildings?

December 21, 2015 | by

If so, there’s a professor at Reading University’s School of Construction Management and Engineering, Derek Clements-Croome, who want to meet you!

He firmly believes that those in building design need to work more with medics because they have valuable valid data about how the body and mind react in everyday environments. He is keen to learn about for example how heart rates, blood oxygenation, glucose levels and so on change when people stand and when they sit. This will help promote active working, based on real evidence that medics have. Building sickness syndrome and musculoskeletal conditions are highly relevant too. In 2013 in UK there were 131 million days off work; 60—90% of workers say they under-perform due to the poor physical environmental conditions. This costs about £100 billion per year. We could help to relieve pressure on doctors and NHS if we had healthier buildings (where we spend about 90% of our time)!

Apparently at the turn of the eighteenth century the French physician Xavier Bichat wrote a lot about the effects of poor air quality but after then the professions diverged.

Prof Croome is very keen to talk to any doctors interested and knowledgeable in these matters that would like to explore mutually beneficial collaboration. Email him at d.j.clements-croome@reading.ac.uk