Public Funding for Opalflow Ltd

OpalFlow is a UK-based digital health SME with a core project team of Natalie Cooke CEO (Registered Nurse/MSc International Healthcare Management) and Radovan Vitek CTO (full-stack developer/MSc Software Engineering). The UK's extensive waiting list for elective surgeries, which exceeds 7 million people, particularly impacts patients awaiting hip and knee replacements and cancer treatments. These individuals experience deteriorating conditions that have a negative impact on their mental and physical well-being. For cancer patients, even a four-week delay in receiving surgery increases the risk of mortality by 6-8%. Additionally, the underutilisation of Operating Rooms (ORs) results in a missed opportunity for approximately 350,000 surgeries annually, further prolonging waiting lists and undermining public confidence in the system. OpalFlow aims to address these challenges by developing a comprehensive AI-based web and mobile app for OR scheduling. The platform automates all aspects of managing OR capacity with the potential to increase the number of surgeries by up to 10%. The project's primary focus will be on patients waiting for hip and knee replacements, especially those experiencing severe chronic pain. The Midlands, with the longest waiting list for hip and knee replacements in the UK (<150,000 people), will benefit significantly from OpalFlow's efforts to increase the number of surgeries in this region. This initiative aligns directly with the NHS Delivery plan, addressing the backlog of elective care resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. The plan outlines clear goals for the recovery of elective services over the next three years, making OpalFlow's project opportune and valuable in supporting the plan's objectives.