Welcome to our health tech news in brief, where we share stories from across health and care.
Wigan Council seeks market engagement on citizen-facing digital tools to support public health
Wigan Council has issued a preliminary market engagement notice seeking to explore available options for citizen-facing digital tools to support key areas of public health and complement face-to-face service delivery.
The early engagement process aims to understand solutions in the market to support its wider digital transformation agenda, aligning with the council’s “Progress with Unity” strategy, noting commitments to neighbourhood working and person-centred services, community engagement, and co-production, exploring opportunities around data, digital, and AI.
Expressions of interest are invited, with suppliers asked to submit via “TheChest” procurement portal.
Wigan Council currently notes a range of services for residents via its “Digital Wigan” webpage, including the opportunity to access free-to-use computers and tablets, to benefit from one-to-one telephone support with TechMates, and to receive free data through a partnership with the Good Things Foundation. A dedicated Self-care page is home to free-to-access resources relating to living well, caring for others, and improving mental health, signposting local people to relevant services and support for long-term conditions, addiction, weight loss, and exercise.
Mental health texting service launches across Birmingham and Solihull
Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust has launched a text messaging service, offering anonymous mental health support for “people of all ages” across the region. Developed in partnership with Shout, a UK-based 24/7 text support service provider, the new resource is completely free and designed to help those who are experiencing anxiety, stress, loneliness, depression or other mental health challenges.
Patients text the word ‘Shout’ to a designated number, which triggers an automated message before connecting the patient with a trained mental health professional who will “listen, support, and guide you”, with calls typically lasting “between 45 minutes and one hour” according to the trust.
East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust uses VR headsets for staff training
East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust has introduced two virtual reality training tools, allowing staff to practise responding to a range of emergency situations in a “safe and controlled environment”. REACT-XR and REACT-TTX use VR technology to demonstrate a range of different scenarios, including what it’s like to treat patients with different injuries and manage multiple casualties at once.
The scenarios have been designed to take place in various public spaces and workplaces to help prepare ambulance crews and specialist teams for real-life incidents. According to the trust, the training helps staff “develop their skills, enhance teamwork, and support a consistent standard of care for patients across the region”.
Increase in NHS App uptake across Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes
A reported 56 percent of patients in the Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes region have downloaded the NHS App, according to Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Health and Care Partnership. They recently revealed that uptake has ranged from “51 percent in Luton to almost 61 percent in Central Bedfordshire”, with patients using the app to order repeat prescriptions, manage appointments, obtain test results, register an organ donation decision and more.
“I am delighted to see the increasing uptake of the NHS App as it becomes the first point for non-emergency contact,” Mark Thomas, chief digital and information officer at Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Integrated Care Board, said.
Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust reports key findings about their skin imaging service
Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust has shared the latest figures on their local teledermatology imaging service, revealing that “for 2025 over 60% of patients accessed the service as a first appointment (with comparatively low missed appointment rates)”. They also noted how 100 percent of patients said that the service was either good or very good, which they note is a “a strong indication of the positive impact teledermatology is having on patient care”
University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS expands robotic-assisted surgery programme
University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust has introduced their third surgical robot as part of their robotic-assisted surgery programme, having recently used it at St Michael’s Hospital for a gynaecology procedure.
According to the trust, “over 500 robotic-assisted surgeries have been performed across sites since September 2023” using the two Da Vinci Xi surgical robots that they already have in place. This has reportedly led to a “collective saving of over 800 bed days”, with hopes that implementing a third robot will continue to improve surgical precision and efficiency to better support patient care and recovery outcomes.
Speaking on the importance of this new addition, consultant gynaecological oncologist and lead for robotic surgery at UHBW, Claire Newton, said: “This investment in robotic surgery is transforming the way we deliver care, enabling our surgical teams to operate with greater precision, shorten recovery times, and ultimately improve outcomes for our patients.”
Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS begins new round of fundraising for PET-CT scanner
RUHX, the official charity for the Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust, has begun a new fundraising campaign aimed at building on the PET-CT scanning technology currently being used within the hospital. “The existing PET-CT scanner is nearing its life expectancy, and technology has significantly advanced since 2016,” Rhyannon Boyd, associate director of RUHX, said, explaining the reasoning behind the need for the new scanner.
The hospital wants to use the new scanner to gain insights into treatment for multiple cancers, dementia and rheumatic, as well as neurological and cardiac diseases, noting how its imaging technology also helps with earlier detection, faster scanning, precise treatment planning and monitoring. The trust is hoping that the new scanner will help them “carry out up to 5,000 scans per year”, instead of the 1,700 individual scans which currently take place annually.
Patient portal services available in Northern Lincolnshire and Goole
Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust has announced the addition of DrDoctor to their patient portal services. Patients can log into the portal and select their preferred dates and times for their appointments, and also receive messages from staff about further details such as the location of the appointment and information on earlier slots that may open up.
The service is currently being piloted at Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust hospitals, before being implemented across the region. It will also work alongside existing patient portal services being used within the trust, including Patients Know Best and Healthcare Communications.
