Navenio’s smartphone-based service allows hospital management to assign tasks to teams based on their location.
Today (20 May), Oxford University spin-out Navenio announced that it has raised £9m in Series A funding for its hospital workforce AI platform.
Navenio’s AI solution works through smartphones, and allows hospitals and healthcare facilities to assign tasks to teams based on their location. This helps to prioritise workloads in real time on the basis of “right person, right time, right place”, the company said.
It added that this technology will be “critical” for dealing with patient flow challenges that could arise when hospitals return to “business as usual” beyond Covid-19 peaks.
The Series A round was led by QBN Capital, with participation from investors in Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia, Greece and the UK.
Workforce tool
Navenio has developed an infrastructure-free indoor location solution, which it describes as the equivalent of GPS for indoor use. This technology can power a range of apps and platforms in sectors including healthcare.
Philea Chim, senior vice-president at QBN Capital, commented: “Navenio’s technology has the potential to transform the way that organisations deal with tasks across the board for the better, which is especially important during the long-lasting disruption caused by Covid-19.”
The company said that its intelligent workforce service can be used to help deal with increased pressure on healthcare systems, which can be worsened by variable staffing levels.
It added that this could lead to faster cleaning of infectious areas in hospitals, full visibility of vulnerable patient movement between departments, and connecting porters directly with staff to ensure that vital equipment is promptly transported to where it’s needed.
‘Uber for indoors’
Dr Harpreet Sood, former associate chief clinical information officer at NHS England, said: “Navenio’s technology is unlocking significant improvements in the efficiency and workflow of healthcare teams, and has been shown to result in both better patient outcomes and staff experience.
“It’s a bit like Uber for indoors, given the ability to connect frontline teams with the resources they need as quickly as humanly possible.”
Tim Well, CEO of Navenio, said that the company’s technology can help hospitals allocate tasks to the teams that are best suited to carry them out.
“We’re delighted to have closed this recent funding round during such a disruptive period; it will help us increase the scope of our offering here in the UK, as well as US and Asia where we have a number of evolving partnerships.”