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Whzan Digital Health now has more than 1,500 elderly care and nursing homes in the UK using its telehealth monitoring system after introductions facilitated by Enterprise Europe Network.
The company, based on the Isle of Wight, has developed a range of assessment tools that capture images for clinical assessment and record vital signs from Bluetooth-enabled medical instruments.
Since the Covid-19 outbreak there has been a surge in demand for remote care home monitoring systems, which has accelerated Whzan’s growth.
The company has been working with an EEN adviser since 2018, initially to work on its business strategy and marketing efforts and to explore partnering opportunities.
Digital health growth support and negotiating turbulent times
That period of bespoke coaching moved on to address other factors underpinning growth such as digital marketing, design thinking and collaborations. CEO Keith Chessell also received international matchmaking support and took part in EEN brokerage events.
When Covid-19 struck, EEN adviser Lukasz Liebersbach was able to offer additional business support after assessing the pandemic’s impact on the business. That included facilitating introductions to care homes across the country, drawing on the wider EEN adviser network.
Lukasz also highlighted sources of funding, such as Innovate UK grants for ‘business-led innovation in response to global disruption.’ The company applied successfully and received £50,000 to make a COVID-19 assessment toolkit freely available to care homes and domiciliary workers with Whzan-enabled tablets.
The benefits of support
The grant, together with Covid-19 related demand for remote monitoring, has resulted in three new jobs and employment for several part-timers. Annual turnover has increased by £437,000.
Keith Chessell, CEO, said: “EEN has been invaluable in helping us keep track of the latest funding opportunities, connect to partners via sectoral matchmaking events and develop our growth strategy with input from their advisers.”
Whzan is now providing early warnings of deteriorating health for some 50,000 people in more than 1,500 elderly care and nursing homes and several hundred more who have the systems installed in their own homes.
