Apps

Vine Health awarded £1million funding

Vine Health, the company behind a mobile app to support cancer patients, has been awarded a million-pound grant from Innovate UK to help deliver their cancer treatment companion app to four NHS Trusts. 

The NHS Trusts will take part in four randomised controlled trials with the hope to generate robust evidence that the app will support cancer patients and their treatment. 

The Vinehealth app supports cancer patients to self-manage their medications, side-effects, symptoms, and lifestyles, seamlessly integrating with smartphones and wearables. It was launched in 2019 and the grant is the second notable mark of confidence awarded to the company after Vine Health won the highly contested NHSX Techforce19 grant last year.

Some of the UK’s biggest cancer charities have partnered with the company including CRUK, Macmillan, and Bowel Cancer UK, with all of them providing resources within the app.  

The trial will be the second trial conducted on the app, with the first trial taking place at the Royal Marsden, where the platform was used to aide mental health among cancer patients during the Covid 19 pandemic. The conclusion of the trial the final result was 97% patient engagement and 87% of patients noted an improvement in depression, fatigue, stress & anxiety whilst using the app.  

Vinehealth’s CEO, Rayna Patel, said: “Providing remote patient support and enabling clinicians to understand how their patients are doing remotely is crucial in a post-pandemic world.”

In September HTN covered the news that company had partnered with Breast Cancer Haven to provide further resources and information to help cancer patients. The new partnership means the Breast Cancer Haven’s resources and online support, from publications to self-help videos and online courses, will be available through the app.