Roundup: GE Healthcare acquires Swedish startup Prismatic Sensors, pharmacy trials driverless van delivery and more briefs
GE HEALTHCARE ACQUIRES SWEDISH STARTUP PRISMATIC SENSORS
GE Healthcare is acquiring Swedish medical X-ray imaging startup, Prismatic Sensors to boost its medical imaging business.
According to GE, the startups technology offers fewer doses of radiation to patients and more accurate X-ray imaging, and has the potential to be a “substantial step forward” in detecting cancer, heart disorders and other diseases.
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The acquisition aligns with GE’s mission to help medical workers deliver more precise diagnoses and detect diseases earlier.
GE Healthcare expects to close the acquisition by January.
LEVA CLINIC TO LAUNCH FIRST ONLINE PAIN CLINIC
Leva Clinic, a group of healthcare professionals within the NHS, will be launching the UK’s first Care Quality Commission (CQC) registered online clinic for patients living with persistent pain.
As part of a three-month trial with a London-based NHS trust, expected to start later this year, the multi-disciplinary team of clinical psychologists, doctors, nurses and physiotherapists will be treating patients through online consultations, relieving waiting list pressures faced from COVID-19.
If the model is successful, it will be rolled-out to other NHS trusts and private companies, as commissioned.
The clinic has been designed with the input from people who have experienced chronic pain allowing for a tailored care plan. Patients will be able to book an appointment with the pain specialist team through the Leva Clinic website www.levaclinic.com.
KENT CARE HOMES ADOPTS LOCKDOWN TECH TO STAY CONNECTED
Two Kent care homes are integrating smart technology to keep their residents mentally stimulated and connected with loved ones throughout the UK’s second lockdown.
Staff at Woodstock Residential Care Centre in Sittingbourne and St Winifreds Care Centre in Deal are noticing an increase in resident engagement following the implementation of the InteractiveMe handheld smart devices in their respective homes.
Both homes, which are part of the Nellsar Care Group, have also been able to prompt families via SMS to stay connected with their residents through video and photo sharing.
Woodstock has also just received the National Centre of Excellence Award from InteractiveMe for its outstanding and creative use of the technology during lockdown.
GENERALI HELLAS LAUNCHES DIGITAL HEALTH APP
Greek insurance company, Generali Hellas has launched a new health engagement platform, My Health IQ to improve the wellbeing of their customers and to encourage the adoption of a healthier lifestyle.
Using the technology provided by Swiss-based technology company dacadoo, Generali Hellas is now offering its customers a service that encourages methods to monitor and improve their physical and mental health, based on a scientifically validated methodology.
Panos Dimitriou, CEO of Generali Hellas, said: “The use of digital technology and telematics in the insurance sector is an innovative and necessary step, as it effectively shifts the narrative from a risk-based approach to one focused on the premise of prevention and the promotion of good health.”
PHARMACY CHOSEN TO TRIAL DRIVERLESS VAN DELIVERY
Hounslow East Pharmacy in West London trialed a driverless delivery van earlier this month as part of a UK Research and innovation-funded trial into autonomous vehicle deliveries.
Kar-go, an autonomous delivery vehicle designed and built by UK tech firm, Academy of Robotics, collects medicines from the pharmacy and delivers them to a local care home.
Kar-go will continue medicines deliveries for several months and if successful, will expand to other suburban areas.
The currently semi-autonomous vehicle has a safety driver on board who can take control of the vehicle at any time.
DATALOGIC LAUNCHES WEARABLE HEADSCANNER
Datalogic, an automatic data capture and factory automation company, has announced the launch of the new HandScanner, a hands-free scanner designed to streamline workers’ daily operations.
The HandScanner wearable device allows workers to be faster, more efficient and improve the quality of their work, saving 4 seconds per scan and cutting reading errors by up to 33%.
The ergonomic design of the HandScanner delivers 1D and 2D barcode scanning accuracy and faster scanning times, while reducing errors. Workers can interact with objects while wearing the HandScanner, as it adapts to the operators’ natural movement.
BOEHRINGER INGELHEIM AND INMATION SOFTWARE ENHANCE COLLABORATION
Boehringer Ingelheim, and inmation Software, a technology leader in real-time information management for large-scale industries, have announced the strategic expansion of their collaboration.
The joint development agreement, initially set for the next five years, will focus on the further development of the “enterprise:inmation” software.
The software solution enables process and production data to be acquired on a global basis in real-time, involving systems and components independent of manufacturer.
This enables the integration of all systems with a digital interface such as ERP, MES, PIMS, SCADA, LIMS, DCS or PLC into a global real-time data backbone. This allows the data from heterogeneous systems to be pulled into a database that enables users to access the relevant information required from anywhere with any device.
INDUSTRY RESPONSE TO COVID-19 PROVIDES BOOST TO WELSH ECONOMY
New figures reveal that Welsh industry’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic has generated millions of pounds for the Welsh economy and supported the creation and safeguarding of hundreds of jobs across the country.
Life Sciences Hub Wales, who were appointed by Welsh Government to support industry engagement with NHS Wales throughout the pandemic, reveal that Welsh businesses have contributed more than £34 million to the economy as well as supporting over 620 jobs.
Darren Hughes, director of the Welsh NHS Confederation said: “Our partnerships with organisations like Life Sciences Hub Wales have been essential to supporting NHS Wales organisations and dedicated staff through the pandemic.
“Their support has been invaluable and has demonstrated the importance of collaborations between industry and healthcare services to deliver change at pace and scale. We look forward to continuing to build on this relationship which will be key to not only improving the future health and wellbeing of people in Wales, but also to supporting a healthy and sustainable economy.”
PILL CONNECT COMPLETES FUNDING ROUND FOR SMART PILL BOTTLE
Pill Connect, formerly known as Elucid mHealth, has completed a £510K funding round with the support of entrepreneur Jonathan Milner from Catapult Ventures and Shallcross Partners.
The capital raised will enable Pill Connect to complete development of the design, electronics and software for submission to the regulatory authorities in both Europe and the US.
Pill Connect, was developed to prompt patients to take their medications on time and to send a report back to the doctor to advise them of their patient’s adherence record. The prompt comes from an app on their mobile phone which when acknowledged dispenses a pill or capsule from the bottle through the dispensing cap.
The Pill Connect system provides an adherence record and allows for intervention by automated notifications or phone call should the app not be activated.
VANTAGE HEALTH SELECTED FOR DIGITALHEALTH.LONDON PROGRAMME
Healthcare technology company, Vantage Health, has been selected for the 2020-21 DigitalHealth.London Accelerator programme.
The 12-month programme aims to speed up the adoption of technology in London’s NHS, relieving high pressure on services and empowering patients to manage their health.
Each SME is assigned an NHS Navigator, an experienced professional from the NHS with the expertise to share advice on products in development, NHS navigation and business models. Support focuses on areas specific to individual companies’ needs and may include helping to refine products to meet NHS need, showcasing innovations in health facilities and market access and navigation.
The companies successful in getting onto the Accelerator programme have been chosen through a competitive selection process, involving expert NHS and industry panel assessments, interviews, and due diligence checks.
SPHERE OFFERS FREE ACCESS DURING LOCKDOWN
SPHERE by Stress Point Health, the digital therapy app designed to address the response to stress, anxiety or PTSD, has announced that it will offer all users free access to the app during the second lockdown.
The app digitises Neurofeedback and offers access to this treatment through smartphone technology and claims to provide relief in one, 20-minute session.
SPHERE’s Beta launch saw almost 200 users downloading the app over the period of the past 8 months. The results highlighted the effectiveness of digitised neurofeedback as a means to treat mental health from the privacy of their home.
The app has also moved from public Beta to full launch and is now also available for iOS.
BRAIN IN HAND WINS SBRI GRANT TO AID AUTISM SUPPORT
UK digital healthcare company, Brain in Hand, has won a Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) Healthcare award.
Funded by NHS England & NHS Improvement, the £800K award is a recognition of Brain in Hand’s digital self-management approach to support services for autistic people, both pre- and post-diagnosis.
The award also signals confidence in Brain in Hand as an effective solution in meeting the needs in autism services, supporting the NHS Long Term plan and health and social care strategy.
Following a first-phase feasibility fund awarded in 2019, this phase two funding will help to increase access to its combined digital and human based self-directed support services. It will allow Brain in Hand to continue to advance the product’s capabilities and the overall experience to users and service providers.