2023 has been an exceptionally busy year for us at TheHill. Amongst the usual running of our programmes and events, to helping companies with grant writing and investment and triaging over 170+ companies through our Innovation Pipeline, we’ve picked out some of our highlights below.
We’d like to also wish you a happy and healthy New Year and we look forward to continuing to empower digital innovation health and care throughout 2024.
Jump to a month: JANUARY | FEBRUARY | MARCH | APRIL | MAY | JUNE | JULY | AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER | NOVEMBER | DECEMBER
January 2023: Virtual Wards
We kickstarted January by commencing our Virtual Wards project. We worked closely with partners including Oxfordshire AHSN and Channel 3 in supporting Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in putting the service in place.
Having had fruitful conversations with clinical teams, we worked towards producing a Digital Inclusion Report for the Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West Integrated Care Board (BOB).
February 2023: Oxfordshire Digital Inclusion Charter Launch
We were proud to be part of the Oxfordshire Digital Inclusion Charter Launch event, working collaboratively with local authorities and organisations to improve access to digital care within the community.
March 2023: Digital Skills Training
In March, we launched our Digital Skills training, providing an opportunity for those working across Oxford University Hospitals to upskill their computer literacy to help improve their computer use in their day-to-day workflow. Starting with Sobell House and SUWON, feedback from the training has been positive and training will continue in 2024.
April 2023: Pre-Seed Programme Launch
In April, we invited a small cohort of early-stage companies to participate in our first ever Pre-Seed Programme. Running over three months, the cohort were able to gain an understanding of how to elevate their businesses to the next level.
During the programme, some businesses pivoted their original ideas to make them more viable for the NHS, following feedback and advice from our expert speakers and have continued to grow throughout the year.
May 2023: VR Showcase Event and MAA Launch
May was a busy month for us, as we kickstarted our 2023 NHS Market Access Accelerator Programme at the Business and Intellectual Property Centre in Oxfordshire County Library. Our cohort gathered to meet each other for the first time and to get stuck into the programme, meeting members of TheHill team and David Walliker, Chief Digital and Partnerships Officer at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
We held our ‘What’s New?’ Event in May, with a focus on virtual and augmented reality. Our VR Showcasetook place on the 18th of May at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford. 16 companies with a range of VR technologies showcased their innovations to over 100 attendees, ranging from clinicians, allied health professionals and local authority representatives.
June 2023 – New Website Launch
In June, we launched our new website, making it easier for visitors to discover more about us and our programmes. The revitalised website was 18 months in the planning and has been well received and we’ll continue to build and work on our website throughout 2024.
July 2023: Pre-Seed Graduation & Digital Inclusion Report
In the heat of the July sunshine, we saw companies on our Pre-Seed programme graduate, in a celebration held at the Wood Centre for Innovation in Oxford. We’ve already seen many of these companies grow their MVP since graduating, while others have gained further investment.
Following our Virtual Wards project in January, in July we published our Digital Inclusion in Virtual Wards report, which looked the wider context of virtual wards, including the digital divide, the application of virtual wards across the BOB ICS and best practices and recommendations going forward.
August 2023: Alumni Programme Launch
We launched our Alumni Programme in August as a way to keep in touch with those who have graduated from our programmes and to offer extended support to companies, with regular catch-ups and exclusive opportunities.
September 2023: Remote Monitoring Report
In September, we released our Remote Monitoring in Healthcare report, an accumulation of a ‘needs-led’ project over 6 months to understand how remote monitoring technology can assist in the delivery of care in hospitals and at home. Many benefits were identified, but there were also challenges that were highlighted with remote monitoring.
The report was published in collaboration with the Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West (BOB) Integrated Care Board.
October 2023: Start-Up Labs Programme Funding
We were delighted to secure UK Government funding and Barclays support to launch our new Start-Up Labs programme, which provides early-stage digital health businesses with the tools needed to overcome the barriers of beginning their start-up journey, while working closely with the needs of staff at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
November 2023: Graduation for our 2023 MAA Cohort
November saw the graduation of our 2023 NHS Market Access Accelerator cohort. Over the past six months, companies on the programme gained knowledge on different aspects of the NHS through a range of online and in-person sessions, ranging from NHS structures to market validation and understanding medical device regulations to clinical engagement with clinicians at Oxford University Hospitals.
There’s more on the graduation here.
December 2023: Start-Up Labs Recruitment
We opened applications for our Start-Up Labs programme to Nurses, Midwives and Allied Health Professionals (NMAHPs) which begins in February 2024. We received over 100 applications to join the programme within one week of opening. Work is ongoing to understand their needs and match early-stage companies to them, to form multidisciplinary teams to take part in the programme next year.