New tech on the agenda at our strategic workshop

Guest speakers from industry, research and the region’s NHS system were invited to showcase how digital technologies, advanced data analytics and artificial intelligence can enhance healthcare delivery and patient outcomes at a Health Innovation Wessex-convened strategic workshop.

By addressing challenges such as interoperability and trust, and by focusing on scalable and collaborative approaches, the healthcare system can achieve significant improvements with applications taking advantage of recent technological advances.

Invitations were extended across the health innovation landscape to the workshop at Southampton Science Park where HIW, and several of the innovators it supports, is based.

The workshop takes on greater relevance when considering the outlined intentions of the NHS 10-year plan to focus on prevention, conduct more interventions in the community and utilise the size of life sciences sector to generate national economic growth.

Speakers included directors and chief officers from both Dorset and Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Boards, Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust, and University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust.

Topics they addressed were how to address regional and social inequalities in health using data analytics, reducing the time it takes to get new technology adopted within the NHS, and improving the ability of staff to use these new tools available to them. 

Innovators addressing the room of about 100 people were: 

• Newton’s Tree, a health tech start-up that enables healthcare providers to procure, integrate, and monitor in-house and third-party AI products as part of routine care pathways
• Tortus AI, which offers the facility for instant medical notes, letters and clinical coding to be produced in consultations, ready for review, allowing the clinician to simply listen to the patient 
• C2-Ai, which provides globally unique AI-backed systems which help hospitals to demonstrably reduce avoidable harm
• Abtrace, which has developed a monitoring system for GP surgeries, which integrates with electronic health record systems (EHRs) to scan the entire health record and process it through national safety guidelines continuously, providing a display individualised for each patient.

They were also joined by Deloitte’s lead for AI, as well as speakers from the University of Southampton, HIW, and Matthew Guy who provided the voice of a carer with a focus on management of a loved-one’s diabetes and how emerging technology is helping reduce the burden on managing the condition. 

Telling the audience how innovative technology has benefitted his family, Matthew said: “We can get a sizeable chunk of our carefree child back and that’s pretty priceless.”

Chief Executive of Health Innovation Wessex, Nicola Bent, said: “We saw and heard an impressive amount from experts in the fields of digital, AI and data-driven technology and how we can harness it to create the greatest impact for healthcare teams and patients. My thanks to everyone who attended and particularly to the speakers who provided captivating insight.

“Health Innovation Wessex has built expertise supporting developers of new technologies like these, and our teams will be delighted to hear from new innovators looking for ways to develop and deploy their products in the NHS.”

Visit our engagement form to start the process if you have an innovation that can have a similar impact.