Digital disruption has been slow to reach the NHS. Anyone remember that news article about how they’re still the biggest buyer of fax machines? This blog is dedicated to all the patients who were fobbed off by Drs and diagnosed late. The future is bright. The future is dedicated to patient power. Read on for my round-up on companies shaking up healthcare for the better!
1 Babylon App Free & Paid on iOS & Android
Babylon is a new healthcare app that enables patients to ‘Ask, Talk or get a health check (coming soon)’. The app combines the power of Ai (that’s Artificial Intelligence) with human medical expertise. Their vision is to provide ‘put an accessible and affordable health service in the hands of every person on earth. They have a paid and free NHS plan called ‘GP at Hand – Powered by Babylon’ – which is subject to being based in travel zones 1 to 3 & being willing to switch from your current surgery to Babylon. Services for NHS patients that sign up include online and face-to-face appointments, convenient prescriptions, a choice of GP clinics across London. It’s one to watch as London continues to become crowded and traditional GP clinics become busier. Will virtual GPs will become more popular than face to face ones?
2 Cera Web App Paid
Is a provider of home-care services for senior citizens and adults that need personal care support. The algorithm and automated systems within Cera enable them to respond to requests within 1 hour and 96% of care begins on the same day as the help request. Prices start at £18 an hour to other price points for half a day or overnight help. Their business model means they have lower overheads than larger care companies so they are proud of paying their caretakers 50% more than the industry average. T heir awards to date include
- Most Outstanding Digital Health Innovation of the Year
- LaingBuisson Dementia Care Award
- Best London Home Care Company at the Social Care Awards – 2018
- Disruptive Leader of the Year and Britain’s Health Start-up of the Year
Cera is disrupting the care market – will it take off across Europe?
3 Lifesum App Paid iOS & Android
This app promises to make healthy living simple and with over 25 million downloads it looks like they’ve found a recipe for success. The Swedish health start-up has a vision ‘to make it simple for people everywhere to form habits that build towards healthier, happier lives’. How? By using their applied psychology and technology to help positive behaviour change stick. The website messaging sells the benefits of the app to ‘Lose weight. Get stronger. Eat better. Make it happen with Lifesum’. Tapping into the obesity crisis and the time poor lives we lead they’ve become popular. Backed by Nokia it’s become one of the most popular health apps in Germany, France, Italy, and Scandinavia. I’ve tested it and sadly they don’t have gluten free food for coeliacs listed just yet, however they have promised me they plan to add this feature. One to watch.
The app offers shopping lists, recipes, pre-planned meal guides, food database, exercise tracker and calorie counter all for 3.75 US Dollars a month. The hook of this versus or free apps like My Fitness Pal is that Lifesum promises to ‘help you lose weight in 3 weeks’ via personalised diet plans and habit tracking integration with Apple Health, Google Fit, Android Health, Runkeeper, Fitbit, Moves, Jawbone, and Endomondo. No doubt this lose weight within 3 +weeks health plan and features will appeal to people nervously trying on their summer outfits before the big August getaway begins. The app has picked up some awards along the way with:
- Apple giving Editors choice award App of the year 2013, 2014 & 2015
- Android The best of Google Play 2017 & Android Excellence Awards 2017
4 Selfapy Web Paid Germany
This is the digitalisation of psychotherapy. Its founders were concerned that in Germany almost every 60 minutes someone dies from death by suicide. An almost unbelievable stat. The two psychologists from Berlin decided to make a positive difference to the 4 million people in Germany with depression by creating Selfapy in a bid to remove the usual time delays and hurdles to mental health support. Their online therapy course has 9 modules where users are asked key questions to help minimise negative thoughts. Then each participant has a 45-minute call with a psychotherapist. The online course is around 125 Euros over time that may be reduced further. The founders’ aim is that health insurance companies will cover the course costs. It’ll be interesting to see how they track their impact and success. Could it revolutionise help and access to early treatment for those with depression across Europe?
5 Bounce Works Mixed Web Game
One aimed at kids and teens to help them ‘get their bounce back’. Launched in 2016 it teaches compassion, emotional resilience, and well-being. Their vision is to ‘make moments that count’ through user-centered design. The Bounce Works founder is a child and family psychotherapist with over 16 years of experience of supporting marginalised young people. He ran therapeutic education provision for adolescents with complex trauma and also kickstarted Headspace’s mindfulness app for kids. ‘A part of me’ is a product they crowdfunded to create a safe virtual space that helps families find their way through grief. They are now taking this prototype and scaling it up to reach more families – watch this space.
6 Echo On App Free iOS & Android
Is a new app that allows patients to order repeat prescriptions from Doctors. Did you know that half of all UK adults use repeat prescriptions yet 40% of their medication isn’t taken as directed? This costs the NHS billions in waste each year. Echo’s mission is to ‘remove the barriers to adherence through elegant, user-focused design & technology.’ The app includes advice on how and when take medication to help remove the barriers to medication adherence. Their team includes doctors, pharmacists, designers, and developers. The co-founders devised the app idea as they both take medication for long-term conditions and wanted to simplify the repeat prescription process, patient-led principles are at the heart of the business. Read about their clinical trial results here.
They’ve won the following awards already:
- Best British Mobile Start-Up award by KPMG – 2018
- Outstanding Achievement Mayor of London – 2018 and is featured within the NHS App library
7 Our Path App iOS and Android Paid Individual & NHS Partnerships plans
Is a UK based start-up that focuses on helping patients with Type 2 Diabetes manage their condition better and lead more active lives. It offers personal paid plans or NHS Partnerships. Our Path is one of five providers that are part of the digital stream of the Healthier You: NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme. Patients who sign up to their 12-week programme are given a wristband to monitor their steps, sleep patterns, heart rate and weight in real time giving them data and the ability to adapt their lifestyle at their fingertips. In addition, they are paired up with a health coach and connected to a diabetes peer group. After graduating from the initial programme patients are moved to ‘Sustain’ for continued support. In 2017 they received further funding to expand further. To date, they’ve been rated as one of the Top 50 start-ups in the EU. Look out for more NHS Trusts partnering with them. Will path be rolled out across the UK? I hope so.
8 My COPD App & Web iOS and Android Paid & Free in some locations
This app focuses on ‘Helping people with COPD to better manage their condition and medication’. It’s free to download from iOS and Android app stores and accessible via the web. Features for patients include a self-care dashboard with education resources on inhaler videos to med diaries and symptom trackers plus weather forecasts. For clinicians with Mhealth software, they can check-in with their patients remotely and view real-time symptoms, track their condition, update medication and improve care. My COPD in the NHS Apps library as it’s been proven to deliver the same outcomes as face to face rehab classes and help correct 98% of inhaler errors without other clinical interventions, improving the quality of life for patients.
If you’re a carer, patient or clinician who’d like to know if the app is available as a free NHS service within your area you can contact your clinical commissioning group. Or you can buy app access for £20 for life from the creator. Other apps in the same family by MHealth include myasthma, mydiabetes, myheart.
9 Headspace Free and Paid plans on iOS and Android
Over the last five years the Headspace app has made mindfulness for the masses accessible. Or as they promote on their website it’s ‘meditation made simple’. They offer a free and paid for app. There’s useful videos, hints and a community to join so there’s no excuse for meditation anytime, anywhere you need it. Founder Andy trained as a Buddhist monk, when he returned to the UK he realised stressed out business people, sports personalities, celebrities and more all wanted a simple way to learn how to meditate. Which sparked the foundation of Headspace. It’s one of my personal favourites. Just don’t use it before you sleep or you’ll nod off midway and won’t benefit from the full mindfulness experience!
My top tip is that Spotify student accounts now include Headspace. Such a neat idea.
10 Pzizz Sleep app Free & paid plans Available on iOS and Android
If the recent heatwave in London hasn’t helped you get any restful sleep in the last week you could try Pzizz. The app comes with three different features: sleep, nap or focus. The app describes how it uses the science of ‘psychoacoustics’ and a mix of music, voiceover and sound effects to ease users into sleep each night. You can adjust sleep duration, volume, 3D effects, and even voice gender for a personalised audio experience. If you need a siesta during the day or a power nap they’ve even thought of that as well. Pzizz is clinically validated for more information read their blog blog.pzizz.com. The app has celebrity fans including Harry Potter author J.K Rowling. If you want to see if it really can provide sleep and better rest at the push of a button give it a try then comment below if it worked for you!
Feedback
What’s your favourite healthcare app or website? Tell us about tech tools that have empowered you or your patients. Our round-up here is just a selection of the exciting start-ups shaping digital healthcare across Europe we’d love your views.
