Case Studies

In a bid coordinated by DHEW, Public Health Wales, in partnership with the NHS Wales Informatics Service, Swansea University and Social Care Wales were selected as one of five of The Health Foundation Networked Data Labs to be established in the UK in 2020. This case study looks at the journey taken by the partners to secure the £400k funding.

Swansea University's Healthcare Technology Centre has announced a research collaboration with sensor and medical diagnostic company Zimmer and Peacock, which could bring jobs to Swansea. 

Kaleidoscope is the largest provider of support services to people who use drugs in Wales. They have been part of an informal working group, including members of the Swansea University School of Pharmacy, and the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, looking at challenges around drug dispensing for therapy and rehabilitation, during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

DHEW worked with the Royal Glamorgan Hospital to run a pilot testing RFID tracking. Passive tags were been placed on bladder scanners, wheelchairs and rental beds throughout the hospital, along with software to provide staff with real time information on where equipment is.

A Meeting of Creative Minds: How Partnership is Driving VR Adoption in Healthcare

The COVID-19 crisis has highlighted the need to be able react to two issues; the repurposing of equipment shelved in stores, deemed out of order due to lack of parts from suppliers, and, opportunities to prototype innovative ideas.

A tracheostomy is one of the most frequently performed procedures in the intensive care unit (ICU). Reasons for performing such a procedure include: addressing upper airway obstruction, improved oral hygiene (secretion management), and the need for prolonged ventilation.

Through the person-centred design thinking process, Velindre, in conjunction with Pfizer Oncology and IBM Watson, have developed the world’s first artificial intelligence enabled virtual assistant trained in oncology to proof of concept.

ProColl has developed an innovative method of producing recombinant human procollagen (HPC), making it commercially and medically advantageous over the animal-derived collagen products currently available on the market.

This project saw NHS Wales Informatics Service (NWIS), Value Based Health Care (VBHC), Patients Know Best (PKB) and Dr Doctor (DrDr) collaborate to improve the process around the collection and storage of PROMs data.

Accelerate is working to understand the benefits of clear face masks in communication between health care staff and patients

Accelerate partners, ATiC, are working with The Mullany Fund to educate students about user experience research in the life sciences sector.

MaskComms is a collaboration between industry, health, and academia that specialise in the design of mask-wearing equipment to aid communication professionals in the hospital environment. 

Adwell Foods Limited is a family owned company established in 1993, located on the Gower Peninsula in South Wales. Their core product, Welsh Brew Tea, is an iconic Welsh brand, uniquely blended with African and Indian teas to complement Welsh water.

The Accelerate Healthcare Technology Centre, led by Swansea University Medical School, has been recognised award for its efforts on helping to improve the sustainability and efficiency of the university’s laboratories.

During September 2018, Cardiff & Vale University Health Board (CAV UHB) set up Project Drawdown to engage and educate anaesthetic staff about the climate impact of the anaesthetic gases they use.

One of the many challenges thrown up by the Covid-19 outbreak was the need for GPs across Wales to have a safe method for communicating with patients at home, safeguarding frontline staff and reducing any risk of further transmission.

Taking inspiration from traditional whiteboards used to keep track of patients on the ward, the interactive ‘e-whiteboards’ have made a huge impact already.

Glucose Republic is combining biology and software to help people eat and live better through the means of tracking and monitoring how blood glucose responds to different nutrition in real-time circumstances.

Accelerate programme is helping to develop high-tech dementia aid

ATiC have been working with Recliners Ltd who develop seating solutions for the home and healthcare markets. The focus was on a current product line of adaptive chairs, the “MultiCare Plus”.

The ATiC team assisted with mobile eye-tracking in an experiment with Kimberley’s parents who are both living with dementia. Can we better support adults to live independently?

In the UK today there are around half a million children and young people with brain conditions that result in complex medical, educational and social support needs. Cerebra is a charity that helps these children and their families discover a better life together.

There is a need for buildings to transition towards a zero-carbon environment. Hospital buildings and operating theatres use a relatively large amount of energy and produce large quantities of waste. Hospitals produce more than 5 million tons of waste each year.

Accelerate is supporting the validation and extension of work into a novel refined AD mouse model, by bringing Cardiff University academics and researchers together with the team at Cultech Ltd.