Start-up aims to improve patient care journey

A Yorkshire start-up, based at the University of Leeds’ new innovation hub – Nexus – is aiming to transform the way patients access information about their healthcare with its latest digital health platform.

Itecho Health, which launched in 2018, has developed the platform Ascelus, which acts as a virtual clinic for patients, hospitals and commissioners. The platform has been specifically designed to improve the management of long-term conditions and reduce the need for face to face appointments.

Linking patients directly to clinical and hospital teams, Ascelus offers rapid communication of medical advice, medication details and blood test results, without the need for an outpatient appointment. If appointments are necessary during the care journey, they can be easily made via the patient app.

Patients with long-term medical conditions can use the patient app to provide information on their symptoms and stay in touch with clinicians online to receive vital real time information and updates about their care plan.

Dr Adrian Brown co-founder of Itecho Health said: “The number of outpatient appointments have more than doubled in the past decade and in the North of England alone, there are 26.8m appointments each year, 69% of which are follow-ups. This places immense pressure on the NHS, in terms of cost and resource, leaving capacity stretched, budgets strained and patients facing long wait times.

“In line with the NHS long term plan, our aim is to relieve some of the burdens facing our health service and significantly improve care pathways for those living with long-term conditions through digital innovation. By creating a virtual clinic, where chronic conditions can be managed through online communication with clinicians, we can free up the time required for appointments.”

Following the company’s move to Nexus earlier this year, Itecho Health joined forces with one of the University of Leeds’ leading academics in exercise science and a consultant in reproductive medicine at Leeds Fertility to work on a collaborative project, designed to improve the advice and treatment given to patients using the Ascelus platform.

Lalit Suryawanshi a digital expert who co-founded the firm adds: “Moving to Nexus presents us with the exciting opportunity to work with world-class experts at the University to create cutting-edge tech that can change people’s lives.”

Dr Martin Stow, Nexus Director, said: “Itecho Health is a fascinating company, that is using digital and technology to transform the way patients access and receive treatment for the better. We are thrilled that they’re part of our community here at Nexus and it’s incredibly exciting to witness the impact that collaboration with the University can have. We look forward to working with them as they scale up over the coming months.”

Itecho Health recently showcased its latest technology at Websummit in Lisbon, the world’s biggest annual technology event, and also  Arab Health in Dubai.