North East and North Cumbria ICB has shared that six innovations will be awarded £1.5 million in funding for pilots through the region’s WorkWell programme, addressing health problems affecting ability to work or return to work.
The programme is led by a partnership between the ICB and Health Innovation North East and North Cumbria (HI NENC), local councils and combined authorities, the DWP, and voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations.
An expert panel assessed bids received from over 130 companies, with the six innovations selected to be supported by HI NENC to roll out their solutions across the region.
Three of the innovations are based around digital mental health. The first, Dr Julian, is an online mental health platform offering 24/7 access to virtual appointments, specialist clinicians, and a range of tools to support wellbeing. Also included are Tellmi, a digital mental health platform focused on early intervention, anonymised peer support, and text-based assistance; and a service from XR Therapeutics using extended and virtual reality to treat anxiety, depression, PTSD, and phobias.
The remaining innovations include Sword Health’s (Thrive) digital physiotherapy service for musculoskeletal conditions, which offers access to personalised plans, real-time feedback, and exercises. The Sunderland Integrated Musculoskeletal Service will receive funding for its digital platform sharing exercise videos to support recovery from musculoskeletal conditions. And Virtual Menopause Clinics (Hartlepool and Stockton GP Federation) will be piloting its service aimed at supporting women with perimenopause and menopause, with out-of-hours appointment availability.
Dr Nicola Hutchinson, chief executive, HI NENC, said: “We are delighted to be backing six outstanding companies whose innovations have the potential to transform how people manage their health. This investment means we can bring proven, practical digital solutions into NHS services more quickly, helping people across our region to stay well, feel supported, and remain in work. It’s a great example of how collaboration and innovation can drive real change.”
Wider trend: Innovation across the health and care sector
North East and North Cumbria ICB has opened a market engagement exercise to support the development of an innovative obesity pathway across the region. The engagement intends to inform a future specification and procurement strategy, aiming to understand the capabilities, innovations and constraints within the market, as well to test its emerging requirements and delivery approach, the ICB noted.
Ireland’s Minister for Health, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, has shared the impact of virtual care initiatives, highlighting “significant progress” around patient outcomes and relieving pressure on hospital capacity. Two pilot acute virtual wards at St. Vincent’s University Hospital and University Hospital Limerick have accrued 1,500 admissions, reportedly equating to 13,800 virtual bed days. A further four virtual wards have now been launched at Our Lady of Lourdes Drogheda, Midland Regional Hospital Tullamore, Mercy Hospital Cork, and St Luke’s Hospital Kilkenny; with plans for a fifth at Galway University Hospital in early 2026.
South East Coast Ambulance Service has launched a pilot of Tortus’s Ambient Voice solution in its emergency operations centres, looking to free-up clinician time to assist more patients. The tool listens in on conversations, transcribing spoken words into structured medical notes to be checked and approved. According to the trust, this is expected to reduce the amount of time taken by clinicians writing up notes following calls. The project follows a similar pilot of the technology at Great Ormond Street Hospital, where early phase testing saw the AI assistant trialled by clinicians, medical actors, and 100 patients.
