Boots and Public Health England (PHE) are combining to encourage people to use their interactive tool to help people build healthy habits.

The collaboration kicks off in January 2020 with the launch of the Reboot Quiz. Hosted on Boots.com, the interactive questionnaire uses PHE’s evidence-based approach to ask customers simple questions to assess their behaviour on a range of topics including eating and drinking habits, smoking, daily stress and exercise. Customers can then choose to continue on their Reboot journey and receive personalised product and service recommendations.

Sebastian James, Managing Director, Boots UK said “For 170 years Boots has tried to help people live the healthiest lives that they can and I think that this partnership with Public Health England is what we are all about. By combining our experience and the huge number of people who shop with us, with PHE’s unparalleled expertise and knowledge, we think that we can help millions of people become healthier and happier. I hope that everybody will use the quiz on our website and follow the personalised advice that we send. For sure I will be using it to set my own New Year resolutions!”

Duncan Selbie, Chief Executive at Public Health England  “Unhealthy lifestyles continue to cost the NHS around £11 billion every year and potentially preventable health risks cause 40% of ill health and early death in the population. We know that simple changes can lead to huge health benefits. This collaboration with Boots puts public health expertise right in the hands of people looking to make a difference to their health.”

The Reboot quiz can be taken now at www.Boots.com/Reboot-quiz.

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CCube Solutions specialises in providing Electronic Document and Content Management & Workflow solutions, based on the CCube software suite. Systems scale from small departmental applications to large enterprise -wide solutions and include: the CCube Portal, Electronic Forms, Workflow, Content Searching, and CCube Electronic Document & Records Management System (EDRMS).

Patchwork launches new platform to provide trusts with control over workforce data

Patchwork, a solution that transforms temporary staffing by connecting vacant shifts with a growing marketplace of healthcare workers, has launched a new insights platform to give health organisations power over their data.

Patchwork Insights, makes sense of the mass of temporary staffing data most organisations have, and unlocks real-time insights and intuitive reporting to enable more effective, data-driven decision making.

Dr Anas Nader, NHS doctor and CEO of Patchwork “For far too long, healthcare organisations have had no option but to rely on ambiguous, piecemeal information and basic data reporting to devise entire temporary staffing strategies. The ambiguity stops here. With Patchwork Insights, we equip organisations with the right tools and sufficient knowledge so they can plan earlier and more effectively. Ultimately, the platform will help organisations to transform their temporary staffing function and introduce data-led decision making; saving money, freeing up time and improving patient safety.”

AXA PPP healthcare and Doctor Care Anywhere announce major enhancements

Doctor@Hand GPs will be able to refer AXA PPP healthcare members for diagnostic investigations where clinically appropriate and within the scope of the client’s Advance corporate healthcare scheme.

Microsoft, an existing user of Doctor@Hand, is an early adopter of the enhanced features. Andrea Winfield, Microsoft UK HR Director, said “Our employees appreciate its speed and convenience. The ability to have a patient-GP dialogue translated quickly into onward diagnostics and treatment is what the modern healthcare experience is all about. It’s a welcome addition to our broader health and wellbeing offering – supporting our employees and their loved ones to stay well.”

AXA PPP healthcare Chief Executive Tracy Garrad said “We’re excited by the opportunity to improve further member experience, care and outcomes with Doctor Care Anywhere. Our members already appreciate our highly successful Doctor@Hand service. Its flexibility is built for modern life, giving fast, convenient access to a fully qualified, experienced GP. A universally customer-focused approach is at the heart of what we’re trying to achieve at AXA PPP healthcare and Doctor@Hand will play a major role in this.”

Dr Bayju Thakar, Founder of Doctor Care Anywhere, said “By enabling our GPs to order diagnostics for patients straight away and have the results reviewed by specialist consultants, patients will benefit from truly integrated care, and simpler, faster and more transparent access to high quality services.”

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CCube Solutions specialises in providing Electronic Document and Content Management & Workflow solutions, based on the CCube software suite. Systems scale from small departmental applications to large enterprise -wide solutions and include: the CCube Portal, Electronic Forms, Workflow, Content Searching, and CCube Electronic Document & Records Management System (EDRMS).

NHS Digital Webinar: Digital Medicines Interoperability

NHS Digital is hosting a webinar at 12:30PM, Friday 13 December 2019.

The webinar will focus on their work on an interoperable medication standard that has now been underway for a year. The session will include:

• FHIR terminology server and how you can gain access
• highlights and learning from the recent INTEROPen event
• how you can get involved in First of Type (FOT) or other medication projects
• opportunities to influence and shape our approach to the structure of medication messages across different care settings

The webinar will be introduced by Ann Slee, Associate CCIO of Medicines at NHSX.

Register here

LabGenius raises £7 million

London-based drug discovery company, LabGenius has raised over over £7 million in its Series A financing round.

LabGenius is a drug discovery company that is using artificial intelligence (AI), robotic automation, and synthetic biology to discover novel protein therapeutics.

The company has developed EVA, a robot scientist capable of designing, conducting, and learning from its own experiments.

LabGenius Founder and CEO, Dr. James Field, says “Protein therapeutics have an unparalleled potential to both treat disease and alleviate human suffering. By transforming how these drugs are discovered, we have a shot at improving the lives of countless people. Being able to robustly engineer novel therapeutic proteins has immense commercial and societal value. The discovery of protein therapeutics has historically been highly artisanal, relying heavily on humans for both experimental design and execution. This dependence has proved limiting because, as a species, we’re cognitively incapable of fully grasping the complexity of biological systems.

X-on wins in the General Practice Awards

Telephony supplier X-on has won the Technology/ Digital Solution Provider of the Year at the General Practice Awards.

The company provides Surgery Connect to over 500 GP practices. Paul Bensley, CEO, X-on said “It is a real privilege to work with the GP surgeries, federations and clinical commissioning groups that are the foundation of our NHS.  With our modern, adaptable communication tools, we are helping them manage demand, and deliver a better patient experience. We look forward to working with practices for many years to come.”

James Harley, IT Lead, Worcestershire CCG “Surgery Connect is providing a platform for a more collaborative way of working between practices and other healthcare providers, as they look to form the new Primary Care Networks that have been set up under the NHS Long Term Plan. It gives us a great opportunity for more joined up working.”

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CCube Solutions specialises in providing Electronic Document and Content Management & Workflow solutions, based on the CCube software suite. Systems scale from small departmental applications to large enterprise -wide solutions and include: the CCube Portal, Electronic Forms, Workflow, Content Searching, and CCube Electronic Document & Records Management System (EDRMS).

GE Healthcare invests in CMR Surgical

CMR Surgical, the company developing, manufacturing and marketing the surgical robotic system, Versius^®, notes the disclosure by GE Healthcare of its minority participation in the recent $240 million Series C financing round.

Martin Frost, Chief Executive Officer of CMR Surgical, said “We are delighted to have attracted investment from GE Healthcare, one of the world’s most respected healthcare companies, to bring advanced technologies to market in a way that has the potential to benefit surgeons and their patients.”

Gustavo Perez-Fernandez, President and Chief Executive Officer, Image Guided Therapies at GE Healthcare “We see the Versius surgical robotic system being a key ‘guiding companion’ for surgeons as they pursue minimal access surgery. Along with GE Healthcare’s advanced, high-quality imaging, digital and artificial intelligence tools, we can bring minimal access surgery to more people. CMR Surgical and GE Healthcare both have the potential to transform the way surgeries are performed worldwide and this investment underlines the shared ambition to do so.”

Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust has introduced 3D software to help with surgery planning

The software will help to virtually plan surgery and reconstruction for cancer and trauma patients. The trust said the technology has been used so far to plan surgery for a patient with cancer of the upper jaw, a patient with a large cyst close to the eye and a patient who has suffered serious facial injuries in a cycling accident.

Samantha Bunn, Manager of The Maxillofacial and Orthodontic Laboratory at SaTH, said “The Maxillofacial prosthetists have started to use the software and equipment to plan surgery and reconstruction for cancer and trauma patients. Virtual 3D models are created via data from a CT scan; surgery is planned recreating surgical cuts and bone grafts, and titanium plates are designed and implants positioned to assist the Maxillofacial surgeons in theatre.”

“The models are then printed out in resin to produce a true replica of the patient and for use as a diagnostic aid. Previously, the Maxillofacial team sourced an external company to provide this service which impacted on surgery time.”

“With this being in-house we are now able to perform virtual surgery to remove cancer from a very difficult area of the body, and we are also now able to very accurately predict the defect and also fabricate a framework from patient bone or a titanium.”

The trust invested in the software following a donation of nearly £50,000 from a former patient and the League of Friends of the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital.

Virtual Reality healthtech firm expands to Leeds

Mindwave, a specialist VR firm in healthcare is to move to the Leeds healthtech hub. Alongside its expansion plans, the company has brought on board two high-profile appointments to help support it growing team.

The company has recently worked with the King’s College London Addiction’s Department to develop an app that allows those who are using substances and alcohol to track their recovery and monitor progress across key areas of wellbeing and quality of life.

The company also developed a web application for South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, which helps clinicians treating patients with dementia determine whether the combination of medications a patient is taking could increase their risk of cognitive impairment. The app provides a simple scoring system for various medications, allowing clinicians to review a patient’s existing prescription and make changes as needed.

Dr Victoria Betton will become Mindwave’s newly appointed chief innovation officer. Commenting on her appointment, Dr Betton said: “I’m thrilled to be joining Mindwave at such a pivotal time.”

“The Leeds’ office expansion is a natural progression for the business. In my role as chief innovation officer I will be working closely with our new COO, as well as Mindwave founder and CEO Kumar Jacob to meet our clients’ needs and ensure that they are fully equipped to benefit from the UK’s digital health revolution.”

The company has also appointed a new chief operating officer, Dr Janak Gunatilleke, who said: “I am delighted to have been appointed into the role of chief operating officer and keen to start ramping up the scope and depth of the Mindwave offering.”

Mindwave founder and chief executive, Kumar Jacob, added: “Janak and Victoria join us at a really exciting time for Mindwave. As we grow our senior management team, we will ensure that we are able to provide our clients across the NHS, charitable and private sector the seamless, unparalleled digital health services they need.”

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CCube Solutions specialises in providing Electronic Document and Content Management & Workflow solutions, based on the CCube software suite. Systems scale from small departmental applications to large enterprise -wide solutions and include: the CCube Portal, Electronic Forms, Workflow, Content Searching, and CCube Electronic Document & Records Management System (EDRMS).

TPP and Servelec to drive closer integration 

TPP has announced it will be working with Servelec to deliver integration between Rio and the SystmOne GP platform.

SystmOne and Rio user East London NHS Foundation Trust and BLMK ICS are supporting this initiative over the next few weeks.

Simon Fewer, Interim Chief Information Officer, East London Foundation Trust “ELFT’s vision to improve the health of our community by 2022 is supported by a Digital strategy and plan to achieve interoperability and shared care records across our local healthcare partners. This development will enable shared records to support high quality direct patient care across our mental health and community services with GP practices in Bedfordshire and Luton.”

As part of the collaboration, data will be shared across both platforms to provide a view of data from both systems on a single screen, providing a complete picture of a patient’s health record.

Penelope McCormick joins Concepta Diagnostics as Chief Executive Officer

Penny will be joining Concepta from medical diagnostic firm BBI Group where she worked for 12 years, leading as Managing Director of BBI Healthcare Ltd. 

Commenting on the appointment, Chairman Adam Reynolds, said “Penny brings a wealth of commercial leadership experience in the medical devices and women’s healthcare sectors. She has an outstanding track record that is highly synergistic with the Concepta business model and market proposition, and that experience will be invaluable in steering the company through the operational and management developments required to achieve its next phase of growth.”

Penny stated, “I am proud to be part of a forward-thinking organisation that is working to accelerate innovation in the femtech and women’s healthcare sphere. The company has exceptional market-leading technology that can make a significant difference to the lives of women who are looking to conceive, and I look forward to leading the business through the next exciting phase.”

Creavo begins ground breaking study into sudden cardiac death at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire

Medical device company Creavo Medical Technologies has begun a 510-patient study with University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust, to evaluate the role of magnetocardiography (MCG) in the prediction of ventricular arrhythmias in patients who have been identified at risk of sudden cardiac death.

The study will involve performing MCG scans – which generate a magnetic field map of the heart – on patients who fulfil National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines for receiving an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD).

Dr Lachlan said: “Currently, the majority of ICDs are implanted in patients who have suffered a myocardial infarction and are known to have a weakened heart, but research suggests only around 10-15% of ICD recipients subsequently suffer a ventricular arrythmia and receive a treatment from their ICD.”

“This means that a significant number of patients deemed ‘at risk’ are implanted with ICDs which are never needed, and this can be severely detrimental to their overall health as well as being a costly undertaking for health services.”

“We are excited by the potential of this study to more accurately predict which patients will develop a ventricular arrhythmia that requires therapy from the ICD, and therefore improve health outcomes for those at risk of SCD and enable health services to more efficiently allocate their resources.”

Steve Parker, Chief Executive Officer at Creavo said “We’re very proud of the fact that this study is the first ever to attempt to correlate patterns in the heart’s magnetic field with future ventricular arrhythmias.”

“The study, which uses Creavo’s technology, will help assess the potential for MCG to be used as a vital screening tool outside of emergency care. This is an important step in our journey, and we thank the team at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire for their involvement and support.”

Health tech user adoption learning platform launches 

ANCILE Solutions has moved into UK healthcare with its uPerform platform that is used by 4,600 organisations globally.

The platform provides a fast and effective way to train and support staff on electronic patient record and other clinical systems; and to make sure that new and locum staff can use installed technology safely and effectively.

Johnathan Pascall, EMEA sales director for ANCILE Solutions, said: “We know that up to 70% of the success of an electronic patient record deployment rests on achieving rapid and widespread user adoption¹. uPerform can help organisations to secure that adoption by reinforcing training and providing support and tips while users work.”

“Once systems are in place, uPerform can also reduce the burden of onboarding and supporting new and temporary users. It gives them access to protocols and knowledge while they do what they want to do; which is spend time with patients.”

“Deploying a major healthcare IT system is a major undertaking, and one that uPerform can support by delivering training and knowledge to users, as they need it.”

To participate in HTN 100 email news@thehtn.co.uk.

Sponsored by CCube Solutions

CCube Solutions specialises in providing Electronic Document and Content Management & Workflow solutions, based on the CCube software suite. Systems scale from small departmental applications to large enterprise -wide solutions and include: the CCube Portal, Electronic Forms, Workflow, Content Searching, and CCube Electronic Document & Records Management System (EDRMS).

eConsult reaches 1,000^th GP practice 

A GP practice in Hertfordshire has become the 1,000th customer to use the online consultation service from eConsult.

Dr Murray Ellender, CEO of eConsult said “Successfully launching eConsult in our 1,000^th practice is a huge achievement. The introduction of this new service will allow the people of Welwyn Garden City to quicken their route to the right consultation for their condition, whilst also alleviating pressure on clinicians at the practice.”

Nexus member joins with University of Leeds to drive medical innovation in India

One of Nexus’ newest members, Pd-m, will showcase its medical innovation to surgeons in India this month.

The company, which moved to Nexus, the University of Leeds’ innovation hub earlier this year, was commissioned by Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (LTHT) to convert a medical device concept into an innovative and easy to manufacture product for licensing.

The intra-abdominal retraction platform creates an internal scaffold structure to enable surgeons to reach patients’ organs which sit behind other body parts and negating the need for gas, was developed by a multidisciplinary team, including academics at the University and surgeons at LTHT.

Pd-m was able to take the initial prototype and create a patented, cost-effective device feasible for manufacture in low and middle income countries, which is also disposable – avoiding the need for expensive sterilisation.

Combinostics raises €3.9M to support early Alzheimer’s diagnosis by healthcare professionals

Finnish health tech pioneer Combinostics has announced the closure of a €3.9M series A funding round that will see the company scale its platform for early-stage Alzheimer’s diagnosis to the US and Asia.

There are no effective treatments for neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s, but early-stage diagnosis combined with symptomatic treatment and lifestyle intervention can make a drastic difference to quality of life in later years. A vast amount of heterogeneous data is collected during the diagnostic workup, so it can be challenging for healthcare professionals to interpret and identify relationships that exist between different data sets. Combinostics provides an intuitive and holistic view of the patient’s data, highlighting important relationships early on and supporting early diagnosis.

Patrik Sobocki, Investment Manager, Industrifonden  “Combinostics has built a product platform from cutting-edge research that will enhance neurology departments worldwide. Their platform supports improved diagnostic accuracy and treatment choice by combining all relevant biomarkers with advanced brain image quantification, leading to improved health in neurology patients.”

Dr Foster’s welcomes new advisory board

Six NHS leaders have joined the Dr Foster’s advisory board to provide a consultative forum and support strategic direction.

The advisory board comprises of: Simon Roberts: Independent Health Consultant (NHS and private sector health), recent Senior Advisor NHS England System Transformation Group, NHS Non-Executive Director; Ruth Holland, deputy CIO at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust; Andy Haynes, executive lead at Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Integrated Care System; Gregg Holland, CIO at Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital NHS Foundation Trust; Paul Davies, independent consultant and managing director at Hilltop; and Mike Farrar, former chief executive of the NHS Confederation.

Jason Harries, Dr Foster’s chief executive, said “The formation of the new advisory board is an exciting move for Dr Foster and will allow us to continue to enhance our products and services so that healthcare organisations can better meet population health needs. We look forward to working closely with board members to engage with key issues and challenges and hope to drive real change in the healthcare sector.”

The new Swahili and Romanian language integrations will be deployed initially in East Africa and Romania.

 

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CCube Solutions specialises in providing Electronic Document and Content Management & Workflow solutions, based on the CCube software suite. Systems scale from small departmental applications to large enterprise -wide solutions and include: the CCube Portal, Electronic Forms, Workflow, Content Searching, and CCube Electronic Document & Records Management System (EDRMS).

Webinar: how a single interoperability platform can connect any medical device

On Tuesday 29^th October at 11AM, Enovacom, an Orange Business Service subsidiary held a live webinar focusing on interoperability.

Anil Madhar, a consultant at Enovacom discussed the importance of interoperability and the emergence of its priority to provide accurate and real-time data for healthcare professionals. Anil presented some of the challenges of data spread across different devices and highlighted examples where this could be the case.

Medical device technology has undertaken significant developments and evolution in many fields, with the devices now producing a large quantity of data. This data needs to be integrated with effective digital tools and systems to provide real-time analysis, analytics and continuity of care.

The webinar discussed why medical device integration is becoming a priority and how healthcare providers can automate the process of clinical documentation and reduce the cost of medical device integration.

In the webinar learn how to connect any device such as monitors, ventilators, pumps, ECGs from continuous care or shorter care episodes. The company works many medical device manufacturers such as Philips, GE Healthcare, Dräger, Masimo, B. Braun, ICU Medical, Fresenius Kabi, Fresenius Medical Care, Maquet, Gambro.

Find out more and view the recorded webinar here >

Advanced acquires CareWorks

Advanced has acquired CareWorks, a cloud based case management software used by social care organisations.

CareWorks is the first acquisition announced since Advanced received an investment from Funds advised by BC Partners, with Vista Equity Partners continuing as an investor. The investment, which closed last month, supports Advanced’s ambitious growth aspirations to become the number one provider of business software solutions in the UK, while expanding its global footprint.

Gordon Wilson, CEO, Advanced “CareWorks is an excellent example of an innovative cloud based software provider that will enhance our offering to social care customers. The social care sector in particular is increasingly becoming a focus for government as our population ages and we witness a rise in mental health conditions.”

CareWorks solutions comprise a single shared information system for community nurses, mental health, social workers and therapists.

Bupa Cromwell installs robot for surgery

Bupa Cromwell Hospital has installed a da Vinci X Robot to assist with complex surgery. The robot will be operating from November.

The da Vinci Surgical System allows the surgeon to perform complex surgical procedures, viewing live 3D images of the patient’s inner organs.

Using hand and foot controls, the surgeon manipulates the camera system and miniature instruments inside the patient’s body, allowing extremely precise and delicate surgery to be performed through tiny incisions.

The types of surgery the da Vinci X can be used for include; urology, gynaecology, general surgery, Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary (HPB) surgery, head, neck and throat surgery and cardiothoracic surgery.

Professor Long Jiao, Consultant Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgeon, said; “The past three decades have witnessed the rapid emergence of minimally invasive surgery, of which robotic surgery is a key enabler.”

“Robotic surgery is a highly advanced technological tool, and the da Vinci robot is undoubtedly the most recognised system for robotic surgery in the world, offering huge benefits to both patients and surgeons alike.”

“We are all really excited about the installation of the da Vinci X  at Bupa Cromwell Hospital and it’s potential role in establishing the hospital as a leader in the field of robotic surgery.”

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CCube Solutions specialises in providing Electronic Document and Content Management & Workflow solutions, based on the CCube software suite. Systems scale from small departmental applications to large enterprise -wide solutions and include: the CCube Portal, Electronic Forms, Workflow, Content Searching, and CCube Electronic Document & Records Management System (EDRMS).

Hadleigh Stollar joins Graphnet from NHS Digital

Hadleigh Stollar, previously Programme Manager for Integrated Care at NHS Digital, has joined Graphnet as Customer Director.

Hadleigh was responsible at NHS Digital for delivering the new National Record Locator (NRL) and National Event Management Service (NEMS), the national solutions enabling NHS and social care organisations to securely locate, share and be alerted to patient information and events held by other health organisations.

NHS App achieves one million logins

 

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CCube Solutions specialises in providing Electronic Document and Content Management & Workflow solutions, based on the CCube software suite. Systems scale from small departmental applications to large enterprise -wide solutions and include: the CCube Portal, Electronic Forms, Workflow, Content Searching, and CCube Electronic Document & Records Management System (EDRMS).