Cognetivity Neurosciences has finalised a commercial agreement with Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust (BSMHFT) to deploy its Integrated Cognitive Assessment (ICA) across both primary and secondary care.
BSMHFT is one of the leading mental health Trusts in the UK's NHS, operating out of over 40 sites and serving a population of more than 1.3 million patients. It is renowned for its comprehensive and innovative approach to mental healthcare, delivering a joined-up system of services with neighbouring NHS Trusts and metropolitan councils throughout the West Midlands.
In its latest NHS deployment, Cognetivity's ICA will be implemented to enhance multiple stages of Birmingham and Solihull's dementia care pathway. The deployment will cover secondary care, supporting the specialist diagnostic process and providing long-term monitoring capability, as well as primary care, enabling earlier detection and improved referral rates.
The ICA can drive major efficiency gains in dementia assessment on account of its unique and computerised approach to cognitive testing. It offers numerous advantages over traditional pen-and-paper examinations, including a short testing duration, automatic marking, and high classification accuracy. It also benefits from the absence of a learning effect and any cultural bias, which is of particular importance in highly diverse populations such as that of BSMHFT.
The ICA's introduction will be facilitated by Cognetivity's partnership with the world-leading data and interoperability platform provider InterSystems, which already supports BSMHFT's system of electronic health records (EHRs). InterSystems' platform has the capacity to enable seamless interoperability between the ICA and EHRs, greatly reducing the administrative workload of clinicians and empowering integrated care.
Derek Tobin, associate director at BSMHFT, said: "We're really excited by the ICA what it can do for our dementia assessment services. We always strive to deliver better value and improved outcomes for our patients, and I am confident that Cognetivity's technology will help us to do that in this area. I greatly look forward to seeing it at work in the hands of clinicians and patients."
Dr Sina Habibi, Cognetivity's CEO, added: "This is wonderful news. We feel honoured that the ICA is being deployed at one of the UK's best and biggest mental health Trusts, touching the lives of a very large number of patients.
"Of course, it is a very welcome announcement as we continue our commercial rollout throughout the UK and internationally. It's great to see our partnership with InterSystems bearing fruit, because they are already working with NHS organisations all over the UK and many of the most prestigious healthcare systems in the US and beyond. We're excited to continue making the most of our relationship and getting our revolutionary technology into patients' hands all over the world."
