#254 Save the whales!
The one-minute healthtech roundup, brought to you by SomX.
Hi friends,
This week: AI chatbots beating humans in the game of emotional intelligence, the MHRA introducing major reforms and NHS maternity wards under scuitinity.
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, Hollie Ruda and Taffy Kahari dive into this week's healthtech news. Available now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
News Bites 🥪
🧛🏻 Bulgarian HealthTech provider Blue Longevity Clinic just raised €2 million to help you live longer – The Sofia-based startup is bringing its high-tech fountain-of-youth formula to Greece, Turkey, and Bulgaria. Taking a leaf out of the residents of Forks and Mystic Falls’ book (IYKYK), Blue Longevity Clinic offers personalised anti-ageing treatments, think cryotherapy, AI-generated health reports, and deep-dive biomarker scans.
📖 Major reforms to speed up access to cutting-edge medical technologies – Hear ye, hear ye! The MHRA has just dropped a set of reforms aimed at getting shiny new medical tech, especially the AI-powered kind, into UK hospitals faster. By recognising approvals from trusted regulators in the US, Canada, and Australia, the UK hopes to fast-track safe, effective innovations already in use abroad.
🫂Artificial Intelligence, real emotions — AI is more emotionally intelligent than humans, new study finds – A new study has found that AI chatbots, yes, those emotionless lines of code, might actually outperform humans in emotional intelligence tests. Pigeon, for one, is raising a sceptical brow. Large language models like ChatGPT-4 and Claude 3.5 scored an impressive 82% on standard emotional intelligence tests, navigating complex social scenarios better than the human average of 56%. Researchers warn that its emotional smarts still rely on structured, controlled settings, so don’t expect it to handle your next relationship crisis just yet.
🤰 Black women ‘denied pain relief’ on NHS maternity wards – A new report shows that one in four Black women experienced racism during pregnancy care, with stories of being ignored, dismissed, or outright denied treatment. Despite improvements, black women remain over twice as likely to die during or after childbirth. Health Secretary Wes Streeting has at least called it what it is: a racism problem in the NHS that’s been swept under the rug for far too long, so what are we going to do to tackle this problem?
💰 Medical chatbot firm OpenEvidence raises $210m – The AI company helping doctors keep up with the firehose of medical research, just raised a tidy sum of $210 million in funding to roll out DeepConsult, a new AI agent that can deliver PhD-level medical reports while your doctor is seeing other patients or just takes a well deserved breather.
🩺 Redefining relational primary healthcare: Harnessing the power of digital health to restore continuity of care – Continuity of care, aka actually seeing the same doctor twice, is becoming a thing of the past for the NHS. Workplace Employee Assistance Programmes are stepping up, offering the kind of consistent, human-centred support the NHS is struggling to provide. The solution? Blend smart tech with actual relationships. Who would have thought that was what the people wanted!? Pigeon. Pigeon thought that actually.
👨💻Tech giant OpenAI signs deal with government to boost efficiency in public services – Hey, nothing says ‘fixing the country” like handing the reins over to a chatbot but alas the UK government has struck a major deal with OpenAI to bring artificial intelligence deeper into public services like the NHS, defence, education, and justice. Ministers claim AI will be fundamental to streamlining operations, boosting efficiency, and solving everything from health system chaos to economic stagnation.
🌎 NHS Unveils Social Value Playbook to Transform Procurement – The NHS’s new Social Value Playbook is flipping procurement on its head, asking “how is this actually helping people and the planet?” instead of just “what are we buying?” It’s a bold move to bake sustainability and community impact into purchasing decisions, with KPIs tracking everything from carbon emissions to local job creation. It also means a big shift for medtech suppliers, who’ll now need to prove their products deliver real social value or risk losing contracts. Pigeon is all for it. Save the whales!
What to Listen to 🔊
Events 📅
Designer Biology 2025 Conference
⏰ July 29 -31
📍 Newcastle
Digital Health 2025
⏰ July 31
📍 Online
BMJ Future Health Webinar: Adopting generative AI in daily clinical practice
⏰ Aug 29
📍 Online
Intelligent Health, Basel
⏰ Sept 1
📍 Switzerland
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 🕵️♀️
🔬Research Assistant, UCL – Do you have qualitative and quantitative research experience in women’s health? Do you want the opportunity to work alongside some of the most brilliant minds in the country? Looking for your next big challenge? Well, look no further! Pigeon has just the role for you, but hurry, applications close August 4th!
🩺 Clinical Engagement Lead, Open Medical – If you are ready to spearhead commercial strategies using your NHS clinical expertise, then why not apply for this role at Open Medical where you can make a significant impact on the future of healthcare?
🥼 Clinical Safety & Research Lead, Heidi Health – Heidi Health is on the ambitious mission to halve the time it takes to deliver world-class care. Pigeon supports that message! Of course, they need someone to be an in-house expert on clinical safety governance and research to help achieve this goal. Bonus points if you have a solid interest in software and AI!
👩🔬 Senior Biostatistician, Lindus Health– If biostatistical programming sounds like your idea of a good time, then Pigeon has a little surprise for you. With this role, you’ll get to analyse, report and communicate statistical findings to your heart's content! Don’t say Pigeon never treated you to anything.
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.