Upstream Health specialises in mobile-friendly applications that are set to completely transform health and social care services across the world.
To discover more about how the team are using emerging and innovative technologies to disrupt the healthcare sector, we spoke with C4DI member Darren Crombie, who is the CEO and Founder of Upstream.
“We have developed a complete set of applications that link up across the health, social care and voluntary sectors in order to increase productivity and boost efficiency. The technology aims to make a real difference to the lives of patients, families and clinicians,” explains Darren.
The core driving force behind Upstream is preventative care: the idea that we should be focusing on why people are getting ill, rather than solely on finding cures.
“The patient application promotes self-management and encourages individuals to live a healthy, active lifestyle, as well as prompting them to take any medications they might need,” Darren tells us.
“Meanwhile, the professional application provides doctors, nurses and social care workers with an enhanced workflow, collaboration tools and all the clinical functions they may need.”
What sets Upstream apart from the rest is that each of their applications plug into a centralised, integrated system.
“So, for example, if an elderly person forgets to take their medication, an alert appears on a close relatives device. If the problem persists, their nurse or carer receive a notification.”
This real-time radar allows targeted interventions that respond directly and quickly to issues that may occur.
“Currently, we are seeing an upward trend in health trackers, fitness tech and wellbeing apps. We are embracing this but putting a larger emphasis on preventative care. By doing this we can revolutionise the way we administer healthcare around the globe”
After working in various IT roles for over a decade and a half, Darren began working for the NHS to trial a preventative health care programme that endorsed self-management and supported people to gain a deeper understanding about their bodies.
“This is where the idea for Upstream really stemmed from. We’ve seen it work and now we’re fusing the approach with digital technologies.”
Upstream has partnered with Bionworks to develop the software, which has now been deployed to five hospitals in the Middle East and India.
“We are hoping to secure our first British hospital very soon,” he enthuses. “A lot of community groups and organisations who provide services for the NHS could benefit significantly from working with Upstream.”
You can find out more on the Upstream Health website.