
Managers and experts from the Norwegian IT and health sector will now transform home care in the UK and then the USA through the company Care Safety Innovations.
Care Safety Innovations (CSI) has developed an innovative digital technology for smarter and more efficient home care, which provides benefits for carers, patients and relatives alike.
The company's management and board consists of people from central positions in the health and technology sector, including Hans-Henrik Merckoll, former CEO. director of IBM Norway, and Lill Sverresdatter Larsen, head of the Norwegian Nurses' Association.
Together with Norwegian investors, the company has major international ambitions, first in the UK and then the USA.
Huge market and need
CSI has identified significant market opportunities in the UK and USA, driven by manual and time-consuming work processes in home care, an increasing number of elderly people and the need for more privatised home care, in addition to a lack of qualified healthcare personnel.
- Increased privatisation of healthcare services and the need for more efficient care solutions places CSI at the heart of a growing market. The home care sector in the UK is valued at NOK 80 billion and has approximately 11,000 home care providers who are our potential customers, says Hans-Henrik Merckoll.
These players deal with approximately 1.5 million patients every day, and the number of elderly people is increasing. The UN estimates that two billion people will be over 60 by 2050, and in the UK and the US there will now be a total of 12,000-13,000 new pensioners every day, of which 60-70 per cent have an expected need for care.
Hans-Henrik Merckoll joined the board early together with Lill Sverresdatter Larsen and has recently been appointed CEO. The two have spent time together in England for the extensive preparatory work and, among other things, have been out in the field with healthcare personnel to identify challenges and opportunities for carers, patients and relatives.
From pen and paper to digital everyday life
Vita Care Companion (VCC) is the core of the technology and ready for use after three years of development. This is a cloud- and AI-based digital platform for transforming and streamlining home care and which healthcare personnel can use on mobile devices in the field.
VCC has technology such as real-time communication, GPS tracking, AV recording and transcription functionality. The smart functions give carers, patients and relatives a number of advantages, for example care personnel a more efficient everyday life and more time for patients. The technology also provides a higher quality of care so that more people can stay at home for longer and increased security among relatives, who gain full insight into the care process.
- In Great Britain and the United States, pen and paper are still used in home care. CSI is the first on the market with a "game changer" solution for which there is a significant need and market, says Hans-Henrik Merckoll.
Customer agreement concluded and investors who see the potential
Care Safety Innovations UK Ltd, the company's subsidiary in England, has entered into its first customer agreement, with the private home care operator A1 Care, starting in December. The company also has several pilot customers in the works and will organise a major conference in London later this year to show potential customers the possibilities of the technology.
CSI is also planning a strategic entry into the US market, starting in Florida, where 39,000 home care providers operate.
The company has brought in several Norwegian investors, including lead investor Eilif Holte. According to chairman Lars Morten Sæther of CSI, it has been a rewarding task to raise capital for the extensive technology development.
- The company has so far been financed by investors who have seen the potential in the ground-breaking technology platform, where cloud and AI will become important differentiators, a large and growing market and the great scaling possibilities. They also wanted to contribute to a commercial solution to the challenges posed by the aging population. In light of this, we strongly believe that even more investors will participate in the further investment, he says.
Cooperation with IT giants
As a result of the innovative technology and the large market opportunities, CSI has acquired partners such as Microsoft and Kyndryl, the world's largest supplier of IT infrastructure services. Microsoft Azure has been chosen as the cloud platform and Kyndryl will operate and monitor it 24/7. The Norwegian technology company Brilliant has played an important role in the practical development of Vita Care Companion, including through responsibility for the technological architecture and the implementation of several key functions.
- The collaboration with Kyndryl is important for assistance with operational stability, scaling and security. And together with Microsoft, the solution can be continuously further developed through cloud technology and AI. This provides a fantastic foundation for our investment, concludes Hans-Henrik Merckoll.
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