Today we signed a collaboration agreement to work with Stoke on Trent PCT to design and build a text message based healthcare system.
It’s our shared belief that mobile technology, and in particular SMS, can be used to deliver healthcare right into the hands or pockets of millions of people. There are literally millions of people in the UK who could benefit from more regular contact with their Doctor or Nurse. It could be in the form of medication reminders but we’re really thinking about patients submitting readings that their healthcare provider can analyse and make decisions on.
Proper two way communication between patient and healthcare provider via SMS.
It’s a tall order but we believe we can use some of the same engagement principles we’ve learnt from running mobile marketing campaigns and apply them to people with health problems.
Working with Stoke we’ll get first hand access to both clinicians and patients. This won’t be a system designed and built by a commercial organisation then taken to the NHS. It’ll be built in collaboration with the NHS using their thoughts and ideas. It’s a unique opportunity to combine the knowledge of a healthcare provider with that of a mobile company.
No doubt we’ll learn heaps on the way, we don’t for one minute think working with the NHS will be easy. We’re used to a very fast moving pace of business and we suspect this will be somewhat slower, more considered, less opportunistic, (and rightly so).
But it’s an opportunity to take our knowledge into an entirely new growing market, so here goes…