SBRI Healthcare Backs Innovations that Drive-up Hospital Productivity with £2.6 Million Investment

Six companies receive funding to further develop products to improve efficiency and patient experience in acute sector

On 1 November 2017, SBRI (Small Business Research Initiative) Healthcare announced six companies that will receive further NHS England funding to develop innovations that aim to improve operational efficiency in acute care through the management of patient flow. Sharing £2.6 million, the successful companies are developing technologies and service improvements that enable patients to progress more efficiently through acute care, including in their diagnostics, therapy and discharge.

With the winter approaching, Acute Trusts are again facing significant challenges due to the high volume of patients using hospital services. Improving the flow of patients, information and resources is crucial for driving up service quality and productivity, and improving patient experience.

With individual awards of between £300K and £800K, the innovations in development include:

• a novel digital system currently in operation at University College London Hospitals (UCLH) to streamline handover of patients being discharged from the Trust’s stroke unit making a crucial link between the patient record and real-time information;
• a new biopsy triaging system to improve the speed and efficiency of colorectal cancer diagnosis as part of a national screening programme;
• a mobile capacity management software that links the patient’s status with availability and allocation of beds, and prioritisation of clinical and non-clinical staff.

Shirlene Oh, Director of Commerce, Innovation and Capability Development at Imperial College Health Partners and Management Board Director for SBRI Healthcare, commented: “We are pleased to be able to offer this second phase of SBRI Healthcare funding to develop technologies that will increase hospital efficiency whilst crucially improving the experience and outcomes for patients. The six successful companies are developing exciting approaches that support the NHS in driving up productivity through for example; the streamlining of patient handover; better capacity management; and faster, more efficient screening and diagnosis.”

The six companies selected by SBRI Healthcare for the second tranche of investment were drawn from a shortlist of eight companies that received six months feasibility funding in January 2017. The successful companies demonstrated the best value and greatest technical feasibility to a panel of experts looking for game-changing technologies with the highest potential value to patients and the health service. The companies will be supported and fully funded to continue with product development and testing.

The companies (and supporting Academic Health Science Network) are:

• Hospital Discharge Efficiency: Care Sourcer Ltd (Scotland)
• Hospital In-Patient Journey: Idox Health Ltd (Eastern AHSN)
• Hospital Resource Usage: BeamLine Diagnostics Ltd (Oxford AHSN), Highland Biosciences Ltd (Scotland) and Nervecentre Software Ltd (Oxford AHSN)

SBRI Healthcare is an NHS England funded programme that provides funding to innovative companies to solve healthcare problems. The SBRI Healthcare team works closely with clinicians and frontline NHS staff to identify key challenges from within the NHS, focussing on specific areas recognised as important by NHS England and the 15 AHSNs.

To find out more visit www.sbrihealthcare.co.uk