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The latest healthcare innovations, including expansion in Northern Ireland, unified frontline healthcare communications, a voice AI platform and on-demand video interpreting.
Manchester University NHS FT and video interpreting
Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT) has surpassed 50,000 minutes of video-on-demand (VoD) interpreting following a successful Trust-wide rollout across its 10 hospitals and community healthcare services.
Delivered in partnership with language services provider Dals (formerly DA Languages), the digital service provides near-instant access to qualified interpreters across more than 500 languages – including British Sign Language (BSL) and hard-to-source regional dialects such as Tigrinya, Oromo, Kurdish Sorani and Vietnamese. Following a three-month pilot that delivered 18,000 minutes of video translation, the service expanded across MFT, delivering an additional 33,000 minutes across 2,500 clinical sessions with an average connection time of 22 seconds.
Maternity services – particularly the delivery suite at Saint Mary’s Hospital – emerged as the highest user of the system. Using mobile “Tablet on Wheels” devices positioned at bed height, clinical teams accessed visual interpreters during active labour, emergency caesarean sections, and out-of-hours triage.
“We feel the pilot has been a real success within maternity services,” said Daniel Blackburn, programme manager at MFT’s interpretation and translation service. “Having on-demand and quick access to interpreters has proven incredibly necessary in this setting where babies can come at any time of the day or night… The feedback we’ve received highlights the added value of video – of being able to see each other. For example, colleagues in the delivery unit shared how beneficial it was for interpreters to visually recognise when a patient is experiencing a contraction, rather than assuming a pause in speech was due to a technical issue on the phone line.”
Duality Healthcare expands Northern Ireland footprint
Northern Ireland private primary care provider Duality Healthcare has announced that it has opened its sixth clinic at 43 High Street, Holywood.
A £250,000 local investment, the new North Down facility creates ten clinical and administrative roles. The clinic expands Duality’s network – which includes existing sites in Belfast, Newry, Omagh, Ballymena, and Derry/Londonderry – to offer same-day private GP consultations, diagnostic ultrasound, minor surgery, and specialist clinics.
Operating six days a week with late-night options, the clinic provides on-site and UK-wide virtual access to general medical care, blood testing, ear care, health screening and adult ADHD assessment pathways. The expansion follows Duality Healthcare’s formal recognition and regulation by the Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA).
“Duality Healthcare is Northern Ireland’s largest independent primary care provider,” said John McEvoy, chief executive and co-founder of Duality Healthcare. “Our sixth clinic brings high-quality, accessible primary care to the heart of Holywood, and creates ten skilled jobs across a range of roles.
“Holywood is a natural next step for Duality. We’ve built our network on the belief that people deserve to be seen quickly, by the right clinician, close to where they live, and this clinic is a direct expression of that,” added Nicola Herron, the group’s chief medical officer.
Simplyhealth and Evaro launch digital prescription service
Health cash plan provider Simplyhealth has partnered with NHS-licensed digital healthcare platform Evaro to launch an asynchronous, online prescription service.
The service allows members to complete free digital consultations via the Simplyhealth app or portal without requiring a real-time phone, video, or in-person GP appointment. Evaro’s clinicians review cases, access GP records via NHS integration where applicable, and issue prescriptions dispensed through Evaro’s in-house pharmacy, offering next-day delivery and up to 10% off listed treatment prices.
Launch treatment categories span women’s health, men’s health, gastrointestinal conditions, weight management, smoking cessation, travel health and dental infection treatments for Denplan members. The launch addresses findings from Simplyhealth’s Access Gap 2026 report, which showed that 52% of UK employees delay seeking medical care due to access barriers, with workers losing an average of 2.1 working days annually to healthcare delays.
“By introducing online prescription services through the plans our members already have, we’re making it easier to get treatment earlier, in their own time and at a lower cost,” said Sonya Bryson, managing director of Simplyhealth.
Lewis-Manning Hospice Care becomes University Hospice
Lewis-Manning Hospice Care has achieved University Hospice status following the signing of a memorandum of understanding with Bournemouth University (BU) at the Lansdowne Health Facility.
The formal designation establishes Lewis-Manning as one of eight University Hospices in the UK, creating an integrated framework for clinical education, healthcare workforce development and academic research in palliative and end-of-life care across Dorset.
The partnership formalises existing initiatives, including clinical placements for BU healthcare students, the Lewis-Manning Hospice Care Scholarship for final-year adult nursing students, and a co-funded doctoral studentship examining palliative care for patients with advanced liver disease. Lewis-Manning, which holds an “outstanding” rating from the Care Quality Commission, provides palliative support to more than 1,450 people annually across Dorset through community hubs, virtual care, and home visits.
“Bringing our organisations even closer together creates more opportunities to better the care we provide to people in Dorset,” said Clare Gallie, chief executive officer of Lewis-Manning Hospice Care. “Our new University Hospice status cements our collective efforts to strengthen student learning, clinical education, and palliative care research in our county.”
North East urologists launch Tyneside Urology Partners private clinic
Nine consultant urologists from across the North East have set up a new specialist private practice, Tyneside Urology Partners, from Forbury Newcastle at The Beverley Hospital in Team Valley, Gateshead.
A joint venture between The Forbury Clinic and The Beverley Hospital, the initiative is The Forbury Clinic’s expansion into the North East alongside its existing centres in Reading and London. All nine consultants hold ongoing NHS positions at The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust – including the Freeman Hospital – and will deliver collaborative, specialised care rather than operating individual solo practices.
The partnership matches insured and self-funding patients with consultants based on sub-speciality expertise. The clinical scope encompasses kidney stones, benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), prostate and bladder cancers, recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs), urinary incontinence, erectile dysfunction and complex reconstructive urology. Additionally, the Gateshead clinic uses digital operational workflows, including paperless prescribing for direct-to-home or local pharmacy dispensing, alongside AI-assisted clinical documentation.
“Urology covers a huge range of conditions and, between the nine of us, we have developed expertise across every area,” said Matthew Shaw, clinical lead for Tyneside Urology Partners. “Working as a partnership means we can put the patient’s problem first and match them with the consultant best placed to help them. We all have strong links to the North East and understand the needs of patients here.”
Mitel releases Mitel WX
Global enterprise communications provider Mitel has released Mitel Workforce Experience (Mitel WX), an AI-enhanced core communications app framework designed to bridge the gap between frontline operational teams and desk-based workers.
Built on Mitel’s integrated hybrid platform, the software targets critical sectors – including healthcare, emergency services, government and manufacturing – where 80% of the global workforce is mobile or deskless. Mitel’s research shows that 70% of frontline staff feel forced to make do with ill-suited systems, driving more than half (57%) to switch between disconnected tools and adopt unapproved shadow IT.
Mitel WX provides a unified identity across smartphones, tablets and desktops. Its customisable layout integrates voice, video, messaging, contact centre functions and vertical applications – such as electronic health records (EHR) and clinical alerting tools – into a single interface. In clinical settings, the application allows staff to view patient queues, health records and emergency alerts, while enabling on-call clinicians to consult securely on mobile devices via Apple CarPlay or Android Auto.
The platform incorporates AI through Mitel Workflow Studio, with predictive suggestions, hands-free voice control, gesture navigation and automated task routing to shorten action paths in time-sensitive hospital environments. Managed via Mitel Central, the architecture supports hybrid cloud, on-premises and edge deployment (via Mitel Edge), providing healthcare CIOs with high availability, regulatory compliance and sovereign data governance.
“Five decades of building communications for demanding environments taught us something that the industry seems to be forgetting: the answer in a critical moment isn’t fewer people, it’s better equipped ones,” said Mike Robinson, chief executive of Mitel.
Hers releases clinician-led digital hair loss platform for women
Global health and wellness platform Hims & Hers Health has announced the UK launch of Hers Hair, expanding its digital health offerings for British women following the release of its weight management programme.
The platform provides an asynchronous, online consultation pathway connecting women with UK-registered clinicians to address female pattern hair loss, a condition which affects an estimated eight million women in the UK. Eligible patients receive dermatologist-formulated, personalised treatment plans – including oral, topical and chewable formats combining doctor-trusted active ingredients with vitamins – dispensed and delivered from a registered UK pharmacy.
Treatment plans start from £13 per month, inclusive of ongoing clinical oversight, educational materials, and 24/7 access to the Hers Care Team.
“Hair loss is a real clinical issue that deserves to be taken seriously, yet our research shows most women are coping alone, whether from embarrassment, a hard-to-get appointment, or the fear of not being heard,” said Rebecca Holdt, international vice president of product at Hers.
Alcidion replaces legacy PAS software
Healthcare technology vendor Alcidion has launched Miya Patient Administration, a cloud-native Patient Administration System (PAS) designed to modernise administrative workflows and integrate patient flow with clinical systems.
Built on the FHIR-interoperable Miya platform, the solution modernises Alcidion’s legacy Patient Care System (PCS). Developed using AI-assisted engineering methodologies, the platform connects administrative tasks – such as referral management, waiting list validation, booking and theatre scheduling –with frontline clinical software across hospital networks in the UK, Australia and New Zealand.
The architecture features an AI-assisted interface that prioritises administrative tasks based on hospital rules, reduces manual data entry, and provides real-time visibility into bed and theatre availability to accelerate referral-to-treatment times.
“Hospitals have invested heavily in clinical systems, while the teams managing referrals, waiting lists and bookings have been left working with tools built for another era,” said Kate Quirke, group managing director and chief executive of Alcidion. “Miya Patient Administration gives them an intuitive system that captures information once, reduces manual effort and connects their work seamlessly with the clinical teams they support.”
