Future Healthcare 2019 came to London’s Olympia with a two-day exhibition and conference featuring speakers from industry, the clinical setting, and a strong showing of start-up companies. The event was opened by former UK Secretary of Health Patricia Hewitt and former UK Science Minister Lord Drayson who addressed a crowd drawn from both the UK and internationally.
The event was a prime opportunity to learn about the latest developments in the B2B healthcare market, collaborate with colleagues spread across scales—from healthcare providers to start-up companies—and to explore future commercial opportunities.
Topics covered included experiences of integrating digital healthcare solutions in the NHS (National Health Service) and private practice for increased patient benefit and operational efficiency. Experiences of increasing the volume of technology being integrated into surgical environments as well as the exponential growth of patient-facing health technology were also shared. Pertinent contemporary issues also found their way into discussions with the future of blockchain in healthcare and a post-brexit European health landscape both hot topics.
Wearables were a key theme of the event with a session dedicated to the disruptive potential of the technology. Some impressive innovations were on display from emteq, who are integrating VR into the clinical setting, and OXSIGHT, the inventors of smart glasses that are capable of restoring sight in some people. While the hosts of the session, Thrive Wearables, gave attendees an insight into the challenges and opportunities that come from the unique data stream that wearables generate.
There were also targeted sessions addressing the path to scaling-up a technology and how to partner directly with the NHS in healthcare delivery. This theme was extended by James Somauroo, from local accelerator HS., who spoke of the need to match the challenges faced by care providers with the sort of innovative tech start-ups that HS. helps scale and grow.
Panel discussions and keynotes in the Health Innovations stream of the event featured a wide range of topics, including the challenges and benefits of expanding AI into the clinical setting as well as mental health management through patient empowerment.
The second day of the program included a pitching session where over 25 start-up and early stage companies shared their technology. A wide range of innovative concepts were on display including safe needle disposal (NeedleDock), medical record management via a passport (MyLifeRaft), family remote health monitoring (cardiomo), ear-mounted vital signs monitoring (cosinuss), VR-enabled physical therapy (Immersive Rehab), and infection-controlling air filtration (Novaerus). The futurist and international focus of the event’s second day closed with speakers that have begun to grapple with intelligently and seamlessly integrating healthcare into patients’ environment with perspectives drawn from local government, architecture, and city planning.
The event returns to London next year as Future Healthcare 2020.
Link: Future Healthcare…