Huma Therapeutics (“Huma”), a leading global digital health company, today announced a partnership with Camden Health Partners and UCLPartners to deliver a digital-first programme aimed at identifying more people living in North Central London who are at high risk of, or who have undiagnosed, cardiovascular disease (CVD) and helping them to adopt new behaviours to help modify the condition. The programme will form a blueprint for potential national adoption.
Supported by a grant from the Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) Healthcare, the initiative aligns with the government’s review-driven2 plans to digitise the existing National Health Service (NHS) Health Check, making it more convenient for patients to carry out the checks at home and reduce pressure on GPs3.
People at risk of, or with, CVD are typically identified during an NHS Health Check. These checks require considerable face-to-face healthcare resources, and some remain incomplete because individuals do not follow through with appointments to measure biomarkers such as blood tests. The digital-first programme aims to expand the Health Check system by:
- prompting individuals to complete appointments linked to the Health Check through Huma’s iPLATO multi-channel engagement platform
- moving the majority of the Health Check to a digital format on Huma’s remote patient monitoring platform, reducing in-person appointment duration and thereby increasing population screening capacity
- driving access to online, approved materials which recommend lifestyle changes in line with improving CVD status
- providing enhanced access to face-to-face health checks for those who do not wish to use digital tools, to avoid digital exclusion
Dan Vahdat, CEO and Founder of Huma, said “We are proud to be part of the global movement that is bringing health equity through digital technology to people everywhere. Imagine the impact we could make by reaching tens of thousands of people across London alone who may be at risk of cardiovascular disease, making them aware of cardiovascular health, helping educate them and encouraging them to connect with their clinicians. This is the very definition of proactive care and I am so excited that, together with our clinical partners, we have the opportunity to scale our evidence-based digital innovations to advance personalised health.”
Dr Alex Warner, Clinical Director at Camden Health Partners, said, “As Camden GPs we are excited about the potential for this programme. We know that there are many of our patients with modifiable cardiovascular risk factors, but within our current practice we have struggled to find the capacity to identify and support them. This new digital-first approach, powered by Huma’s technology will allow our patients to be better-informed and empowered to improve their health, and to prevent more heart attacks and strokes across our diverse Camden population.”
Kate Cheema, Director of Evaluation and Insights at UCLPartners, added: “UCLPartners is delighted to be working with HUMA as an evaluation partner. CVD is a leading cause of disease and inequality across London and we are looking forward to bringing together staff, patient and stakeholder experience and expertise to demonstrate real improvements for people living with, and at risk of CVD, and to ensuring critical lessons learned are fed back into the healthcare system for the benefit of all.”
Tobias Alpsten, Founder and CEO of iPLATO Healthcare, a Huma company, added: “We are delighted to be part of this ground-breaking initiative which, in partnership with local GP practices, will use the myGP Engagement Hub to recruit patients to this CVD pathway transformation programme.”
CVD is the world’s leading cause of death according to the World Health Organization. It is the single biggest condition4 where lives can be saved by the UK’s NHS over the next decade. There are 7.6 million people living with CVD in the UK, and it is a leading cause of premature disability, mortality, and health inequalities, responsible for one in four deaths each year5.