A health-tech start-up which helps older people manage their medication, has been awarded almost £1m through the Government’s Healthy Ageing Challenge scheme.
Preston-based Connect Care joined forces with Oxfordshire County Council and Pharmalogic Chemist and will use the cash to roll the service out across Oxfordshire.
Their bid was to redesign the medication management pathways for older people with assistive technologies, to empower people to better manage and understand their medicine. It also gives carers access to accurate, real-time information about how to support them.
Their ultimate goal is to create a blueprint that can be used nationally.
“We’re thrilled to win this funding and be part of this exciting first cohort of projects awarded UKRI grants. The Healthy Ageing Challenge stands for everything we’re committed to at CONNECT Care: dignity, empowerment, and independence in older age,” said Issa Dasu Patel, co-founder and CEO of CONNECT Care.
“Currently, medicine management is broken. It’s complicated, prone to error, and not set-up to give patients or the people who care for them the support they need. As part of our work going forward, we’ll be collaborating with our partners at Oxfordshire County Council and Pharmalogic Chemist to co-design and roll-out a patient-first new service which will help people manage their medicines with confidence. We strongly believe that this regional roll-out will create the foundations needed to make a national impact in this overlooked but vitally important area of healthcare. We will be designing a service which will be truly inclusive, truly empowering, and make a profound difference to how older people are able to live their lives.”
The inaugural “Healthy Ageing Challenge” is led by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and supported by Innovate UK. It will invest up to £14.4m in projects which deliver “game-changing, service-led innovations to help people age independently and with dignity.”
Connect Care’s new service is set to start in December.
