Health Innovation Wessex has funded a pilot of 20 KiActiv licences for heart failure patients in Southampton as an alternative/precursor to traditional face to face cardiac rehabilitation. The project is ongoing with participating patients showing an increase in their daily activity levels and the team from HIOW Healthcare are exploring opportunities for longer term adoption.
The project aims to successfully implement and deliver a pilot of KiActiv as an alternative and/or precursor to traditional face to face cardiac rehabilitation at Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, who are commissioned to provide the cardiac rehab services for heart failure patients for University Hospital Southampton via traditional face to face exercise classes. As part of this process Health Innovation Wessex will provide evidence of the pilot outcomes and support the case for ongoing funding/commissioning (if appropriate). The goal was to increase the percentage of heart failure patients completing some form of cardiac rehabilitation post diagnosis and therefore reduce the number of emergency readmissions to A&E and patients suffering additional cardiovascular events (heart attacks, strokes etc). The KiActiv programme aims to Improved outcomes for patients due to increasing their physical activity and taking an active involvement in their own healthcare. Its core features are:
• Personalised Movement Insights: KiActiv uses a wearable activity monitor to track your movement minute-by-minute. This data is analysed using their patented engine and displayed in a personal online dashboard tailored to your health condition
• Mentor Support: Over a 12-week programme, users receive six 20-minute coaching sessions with a dedicated KiActiv mentor. These sessions help interpret the data, set realistic goals, and support behaviour change
• Accessible and Inclusive: The programme is designed to be inclusive—no gym visits, no age or mobility barriers. It’s suitable for people with long-term conditions, those on rehabilitation pathways, or anyone looking to improve their health through sustainable lifestyle changes
• Focus on Everyday Activity: KiActiv emphasises that “every move you make matters”. It helps users understand the value of light, moderate, and vigorous activities, and how reducing sedentary time can lead to better health outcomes
• Self-Management Tools: After the initial 12-week programme, users retain access to the dashboard and tools, enabling continued self-management without ongoing mentor support
At time of publication 20 patients have been onboarded to the programme and an agreement in principle has been reached to extend the pilot using service/system development funding (SDF) which will enable significantly more data to be collected to support the case for recurrent funding.
