Meet the EIT Health UK-Ireland Entrepreneurs: Damibu, Headstart/Proof-of-Concept Winner 2016

Damibu’s CATCH app hailed as ‘nationally-important’ innovation

Liverpool-based health technology studio Damibu, a winner of EIT Health Headstart/Proof-of-Concept funding in 2016, has received wide praise for their CATCH App. NHS England has chosen the app as one of 11 innovations to join the NHS Innovation Accelerator Programme, which aims to encourage national adoption of the technology.

CATCH (Common Approach to Children’s Health) provides parents and carers with up-to-date information from NHS Choices, enabling carers to understand when children need medical treatment, or when self-care may be more appropriate. Aimed at parents and caregivers of children aged under five years, CATCH provides clarity from trusted NHS sources when information overload becomes too much. The app puts educational resources, personalised advise, health news and local services at care-givers finger tips, as well as conneting to emergency services.

Knowing when to provide self-care can also help ease the burden on public services. The GP Forward View suggests that about 20% of available GP workload is treatment of minor ailments and is estimated to cost the NHS about £2bn. CATCH aims to build confidence in self-care, where appropriate, while also enabling care-givers to recognise when medical treatment is required.

Damibu works with CCGs, Trusts, and the Public Sector to co-create innovative technological solutions, driving patient and clinical needs-lead design. Damibu’s partnership with Cheshire East Council, NHS Eastern Cheshire CCG and NHS South Cheshire CCG lead to the development of CATCH and is now being scaled in to all of Cheshire and Merseyside.

CATCH also won the Innovation Award at the NHS in the North West Excellence in Supply Awards 2017.