The Liverpool City Region Combined Authority has published findings from a study to highlight that £5.2 million in social value has been generated by a £500,000 investment across the Liverpool City Region’s Life Sciences Innovation Zone.
The Citizen First LCR programme is designed to help people turn their lived experiences of health and care challenges into innovative businesses.
One of the success stories is an AI-powered sleep platform, MySleepHealth, that aims to support people living with autism, ADHD, insomnia, and shift work disorder by combining AI technology and evidence-based sleep guidance. Over the last 12 months, the platform has been built, investment has been secured, and NHS trials are about to begin, the combined authority notes.
The independent evaluation, conducted by Brunel University of London and Northumbria University, called the scheme “truly innovative”, and “life-changing”, suggesting it could be expanded successfully to other regions.
Eight other businesses have also reportedly been created through the programme in its first year, securing over £376,000 in investment, grant funding, and commercial partnerships.
Annemarie Naylor, director of health tech and innovation growth at the University of Liverpool, said: “Citizen First embodies exactly what our Liverpool 2031 Strategic Framework sets out to achieve – by connecting our world-leading expertise in data science, health and care research with the real needs of our city region, the programme turns academic strength into tangible economic, social and health benefit for the communities we serve.”
Wider trend: Health tech innovation
An “AI nurse” is supporting Barts Health NHS Trust, said to conduct routine check-ins and collect information from patients before handing over to clinical teams. The introduction of the Ovia AI-powered telephone monitoring service is part of the trust’s expansion of its virtual wards and remote monitoring, particularly focusing on patients with heart and lung conditions. It works by calling patients at a pre-agreed time and asking a series of simple questions, rather than requiring patients to use a smartphone app to submit data such as blood pressure readings, which Barts Health reports has previously been a barrier for some patients. Information gathered is then sent directly to clinical teams, allowing for health professionals to “remain fully in control” and step in where needed, the trust shares.
The NHS Transformation Directorate has shared details of the initial pilot of an AI triage tool integrated in the NHS App. The tool, trialled at Wealden Ridge Medical Partnership in Sussex, is said to have reduced phone queue volumes by 29 percent, according to the directorate. It will be rolled out over the next 12 months to more than 200,000 patients in London, before being made available to all NHS App users nationwide by April 2028. It poses questions to patients on their health issues via the NHS App, adapting follow-up questions or asking for further information and photos depending on the response. A summary is then created of patient issues and symptoms, offering assistance for clinicians with diagnosis and prioritisation. Once reviewed by a clinician, patients are contacted by phone or SMS with next steps, it adds.
NHS England is making £4.6 million of its Getting It Right First Time funding available for commissioned MSK teams with waiting times of over 18 weeks for appointments, to fund local initiatives and interventions. The funding follows national roll out of the MSK Community Delivery Programme in May 2026 with an initial £3.2 million. The additional amount is provided, NHSE states, to enable local systems to prioritise timely access to care.
