Leeds has firmly established itself as a leading hub for health technology in the UK, attracting startups as well as more established firms, and bringing together major institutions to drive innovation. But what is it that makes the city’s HealthTech sector stand out?
Read on to learn all about the collaborative community and revolutionary projects coming out of Leeds that are improving lives in the city and beyond.
Leeds has cultivated a culture of knowledge-sharing, with events like those at Leeds Digital Festival and Health Innovation Yorkshire & Humber’s networking sessions providing essential platforms where startups, clinicians, researchers and investors can connect. These forums encourage the free flow of ideas, enabling HealthTech companies to develop solutions that reflect real-world health and care needs.
Also bringing together HealthTech leaders and innovators in the Leeds City Region is Leeds Digital Health; a community initiative with over 800 members which creates opportunities to share, learn and celebrate the work being done in Leeds. Their meet-ups showcase projects in a TED Talk-style setting, with discussions ranging from a product’s creation to its impact in the healthcare setting.
Images courtesy of BJSS
The Leeds City Region is home to key institutions such as Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Health Innovation Yorkshire & Humber and Leeds, plus a range of research-intensive universities. The close proximity of these organisations naturally fosters opportunities for collaboration, with the public, private and academic sectors frequently working together on projects that push the boundaries of digital health.
Many HealthTech startups in the city work closely with the NHS and other healthcare providers to ensure their technologies are developed in line with actual clinical challenges. Consultancies like BJSS, Axiologik, Audacia, Hippo, and Answer Digital play an important role in traversing the line between public and private sectors, bringing health and digital together and forging digital change.
With the University of Leeds, Leeds Beckett, and Leeds Trinity University all producing graduates in digital health, AI, and data science, HealthTech companies in the city benefit from a steady stream of skilled talent. Not only this, but academic research is often integrated into industry projects, ensuring that the latest scientific advancements are quickly translated into practical health solutions.
The Centre for HealthTech Innovation (CfHTI), a joint research initiative between the University of Leeds and Leeds Teaching Hospitals, plays a key role in accelerating the development and adoption of new health technologies. It draws on the expertise of a community of around 150 scientists and clinical academics and is part of a wide network of industrial, academic and clinical partners. Through this collaboration, the centre is helping to transform Leeds into a world leader in challenge-led HealthTech.
Innovation hubs in the city provide crucial support for startups, including funding opportunities, mentorship, and collaborative workspaces designed to accelerate growth and innovation. One of these is Nexus – a hub at the University of Leeds dedicated to bringing academia and industry together. They’re all about helping turn big ideas into reality, whether that’s developing a new product or growing a successful business, by helping companies access the knowledge, people and workspace they need to thrive.
These are just a couple of their success stories:
Saile Villegas was inspired to start a business in healthcare after suffering a misdiagnosis at 18 years old. It was while studying at the University of Leeds that Saile decided to start Seeai, joining the Nexus community as part of a six-month programme initially and developing the NHS-funded health AI start-up with their continued support. Today, Seeai help startups and companies build scalable and secure AI products using their own start-up experience.
Having joined the community in 2019, Itecho Health have since grown rapidly with the support of the Nexus team, who helped with access to funding streams, grant applications, and mock interviews. In fact, they successfully secured a whopping £2.2 million of funding from the National Institute of Health Research.
Images sourced from Nexus website
A significant driver of collaboration in Leeds’ HealthTech sector is a shared commitment to improving patient outcomes. Companies and institutions in the city share a focus on digital solutions that enhance healthcare accessibility, efficiency and quality. This shared mission encourages organisations to work together, rather than compete, leading to faster and more effective innovation.
In conversation with Pad Burns, Client Principal for Healthcare and Life Sciences at BJSS, he highlighted the Leeds Care Record as one standout project to come out of the city. It offers an integrated digital care record that consolidates patient information from across different healthcare providers, improving the continuity and quality of care.
Initiatives such as the Leeds Care Record and the West Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership demonstrate how data-driven solutions can be effectively implemented to maximise impact across the healthcare system.
And it’s not just integrated care that benefits from developments in data being done here in Leeds. Leeds Teaching Hospitals are transforming cancer research. Having formed a partnership with Flatiron Health UK, they’re creating valuable collections of high-quality anonymous data for researchers to use in developing treatments and care for cancer patients.
Leeds HealthTech has an impact that goes beyond the city region’s borders, with several key organisations contributing significantly to advancements in healthcare technology. To name just a few:
Lhasa Limited is a not-for-profit organisation that creates software to predict the toxicity and metabolic fate of chemical compounds. Their tools assist pharmaceutical companies in drug development, fostering safer and more effective healthcare solutions.
Founded in Leeds, EMIS offers clinical software solutions that facilitate the electronic sharing of patient records among healthcare professionals. Their systems, including EMIS Web and the Patient Access app, are widely used across the UK in all major healthcare settings, enabling patients to manage appointments, view medical records, and order prescriptions online.
DigiBete provides digital resources and support for young people living with diabetes. Their platform offers educational videos and tools to help manage the condition, aiming to improve health outcomes and quality of life for patients and their families.
Digital consultancy BJSS has been instrumental in modernising NHS infrastructure. This includes rebuilding the NHS Spine, a critical platform that enables over 26,000 organisations to share data securely, handling more than 3,200 messages per second. They also worked on the NHS App and website – essential tools for millions of patients and clinicians.
Headquartered in Leeds, TPP is a global health IT company renowned for its digital health software. Their pioneering products aim to transform patient care by enhancing the efficiency of healthcare delivery, while their flat hierarchy empowers employees to impact projects from the outset.
Collectively, these organisations exemplify the dynamic and collaborative HealthTech ecosystem that exists in Leeds, driving innovation and improving healthcare outcomes both locally and globally.
Image sourced from Unsplash
Leeds Teaching Hospitals is already one of the biggest and busiest acute hospital trusts in the country, but it’s also a regional and national centre for specialist treatment and a renowned biomedical research facility – and it’s only set to get better.
Building the Leeds Way is a long-term vision to transform healthcare facilities across the city, with plans to build new facilities at Leeds General Infirmary (LGI) as well as a regional hub of pathology and the Innovation Village, a pivotal part of the recently developed Leeds Innovation Arc that will transform science-led development in the city.
As the sector continues to grow, Leeds’ collaborative approach will remain key to its success. Leeds’ ability to foster partnerships across sectors, embrace open innovation, and prioritise patient-centric solutions makes it a standout hub for HealthTech. As collaborations continue to deepen, the city’s reputation as a global leader in digital healthcare will only strengthen.
Leeds HealthTech is paving the way for a brighter future at an unparalleled rate. From world-first medical advancements to overhauling the way we treat patients, Leeds’ groundbreaking work in health and care is life-changing for many – not just in the region itself, but around the globe.
Special thanks to Pad Burns, Client Principal for Healthcare and Life Sciences at BJSS and Leeds Digital Health committee member.
Cover image by freepik