#253 Going Viral Isn’t What the Doctor Ordered!
The one-minute healthtech roundup, brought to you by SomX.
Hi friends,
This week: We’ve seen AI scribes rolling out to 98% of UK GPs, radiographers voicing concerns over patients' filming treatment for social media, the potential of weight loss jabs to reduce dementia risk, a new skin test for Parkinson’s disease, robot knee surgery and much, much more.
Your friends all listen to podcasts. Feel like you’re in on the conversation by listening to the Healthtech Pigeon podcast ➡️ SomX’s Amy Thomas and Daisy Makin dive into the week’s’ healthtech stories with Reset Health’s Executive Clinical Director, Dr Laura Falvey. Available now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
News Bites 🥪
🤑 Digital health group Numan extends Series B with £45m - Pigeon was intrigued to see that industry stalwart Numan is getting a healthy cash injection this week, topping up its Series B round with a $60m (£44.7m) boost. Its business is booming too, with revenues doubling year-on-year to $90m (£67.2m). It seems that virtual consultations, personalised prescriptions, and progress-tracking apps are just what the doctor ordered…and customers are more than willing to pay.
✍️ Tandem Health raises $50M Series A to scale its AI scribe across the NHS - Fresh off their massive raise, Swedish healthtech innovators Tandem Health are taking healthcare infiltration to the next level. With new funding fuelling their AI scribe rollout into secondary care – and 125K more health professionals tapping in on their phones – soon they’ll be achieving total NHS domination. Pigeon isn't too worried about AI taking over the doctors' duties, as it’s only handling the boring admin bits, and it hasn’t quite mastered a convincing bedside manner.
💉 Weight loss jabs 'may protect against dementia and stroke', study suggests - Who would have guessed that losing a few pounds with your GLP1s could also help you remember where you left your keys? New research suggests that people with type 2 diabetes and obesity who use weight-loss injections have a 37% lower risk of developing dementia, suggesting that the benefits of managing weight might extend well beyond the bathroom scales.
🧑⚕️ NHS staff unsettled by patients filming care and posting videos on social media - Radiographers are sounding the alarm over a growing trend of patients filming their medical treatments for TikTok and Instagram. While turning X-rays, scans, and hospital visits going viral might sound fun, does this compromise patient confidentiality and turn hardworking healthcare staff into unwilling vlog extras? Pigeon isn’t keen on MRI becoming a reality TV show, after all, doctors didn’t spend eight years in med school to end up as trending hashtags.
😷 Breakthrough as scientists develop new skin test which can identify Parkinson's seven years before official diagnosis - Early signs of Parkinson’s disease could be hiding in not-so-plain sight, in your skin's natural oils. Authors of the study found that compounds in sebum, the oily substance our skin produces, contain tiny chemical clues that could indicate the very earliest signs of Parkinson’s disease. Pigeon will certainly think twice next time he has an oily T zone!
🤖 From startup to clinical partner: Aisel’s approach to ethical AI in mental health - Nobody wants a robot attempting to unpick the complexities of the human brain but, with mental health care at breaking point, can AI help? Enter Aisel AI, which steps in as a “co-pilot” — collating patient data, medical histories and standardised assessments before and after consultations, but leaving the dream analysis to those who know best. It seems that this AI tech tool will help today’s answer to Sigmund Freud to focus more on patients and less on paperwork.
💡Life Sciences Sector Plan to grow economy and transform NHS - Pigeon warmly welcomes the Government’s new all-singing all-dancing life science plan, which aims to translate scientific research into real-world results, so the next generation of medical breakthroughs happen here. The Government is putting real money on the table with a £600 million investment to build the world’s most advanced health data system. Data science nerds across the NHS have just dropped their calculators with excitement.
🤖 Zimmer Biomet inks $177M deal for Monogram and its hands-free orthopedic robot - 🎵Like a surgeon…cut(ting) for the very first time…🎵 Monogram’s AI-powered robotic arm is setting a new standard in knee replacement, using CT scans to meticulously plan bone cuts and establish precise instrument boundaries that help protect the joint’s soft tissue. As Zimmer Biomet moves to acquire Monogram, Pigeon can’t help but wonder when robot-powered knee replacements will hit UK shores.
What to Listen to 🔊
Events 📅
100 Female Founders : HealthTech Innovators Meetup at Barclays
⏰ July 22
📍 London
Bridging the Digital Literacy Gap: Equipping Clinicians with the Future Skills They Need.
⏰ July 25
📍 Online
Digital Health 2025
⏰ July 31
📍 Online
Visit the SomX events page or subscribe to SomX’s events roundup to see all of the best upcoming healthtech, biotech and healthcare events.
Opportunities 🕵️♀️
⚕️ Senior Product Owner, NHS Business Services Authority - Are you an experienced product leader ready to own and shape digital solutions across a diverse landscape? You’ll drive the creation of effective, efficient, and user-focused products that support NHSBSA’s business goals and embed seamless, inclusive experiences for all.
🏥New Hospital Programme (NHP) Digital Programme Consultants, Turner & Townsend - Ready to lead the charge in UK healthcare transformation? Step into a role where you'll drive transformative change, guiding the digital and construction evolution of hospitals nationwide to create lasting, positive impact for generations.
🎩 Director of Healthcare, Ramboll - Are you an accomplished leader ready to steer strategic growth in UK healthcare? This role you'll set direction, inspire multidisciplinary teams, drive operational excellence, and ensure our reputation as a sector leader nationally and internationally.
Got news, jobs or events you think is worth coo-ing over? Let us know! Email us: news@healthtechpigeon.com
Healthtech Pigeon is curated and produced by SomX, the communications and creative agency for healthcare. We are clinicians, scientists, creatives and communicators dedicated to serving our healthtech, biotech, pharma and public sector clients with services across strategy, content, PR, design, events and media production. Get in touch to learn more.