Sector-changing entrepreneur launches new app to support whole neurorehab community

A man whose frustration at the lack of cohesion within stroke care spawned the development of an award-winning app has now developed a platform to enable this revolutionary approach to be extended throughout the neuro sector.

Neuro ProActive has been created to enable a fully multi-disciplinary approach to rehabilitation, covering both inpatient and community care and involving patients and their families in the process.

Through the app, therapists can use end-to-end encrypted messaging and video calling to offer remote services and patient monitoring – factors which were planned before the pandemic, but have now taken on new importance within rehabilitation care.

Set to launch into six NHS Trusts initially, national and international expansion is planned for Neuro Proactive in the near future.

Neuro ProActive is the successor to Stroke Active, developed by Ian Pearce, whose father had a stroke in 2017, and the lack of co-ordination in his care spurred him to create a platform to help families like his.

It received the Innovation of the Year Award at the 2019 European Neuro Convention, in recognition of the role it played in revolutionising communication between stroke professionals and promoting patient self-management.

But rather than just revising and rebranding his existing software, Ian has invested in creating Neuro ProActive from scratch, appointing specialist healthcare software developer L2S2 to oversee its development.

“We scrapped it and started again, there is not a single piece of code that is the same as in Stroke Active,” says Ian, who worked in the City before becoming an unexpected health tech entrepreneur.

“It’s so important we were giving exactly what was wanted and needed, not a revised version of what we did before, which is why we have built something totally new.

“We want Neuro ProActive to stand on its own two feet – it is designed to be a global platform and through it being built from scratch with the best software, there is huge potential.”

Following the success of Stroke Active and its adoption by stroke professionals nationwide, Ian realised the need for its expansion into all aspects of neuro care.

“Frequently, there is a gap between inpatient and outpatient – early supported discharge too often is just early discharge, you hear stories of people waiting six weeks before their therapy starts, which makes things so much more difficult further down the line,” says Ian.

“But by using the platform, we have enabled patients to connect with their community rehab team. We work across all six disciplines – neurophysio, speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, diet, arts and neuropsychology – and the whole MDT can contribute to the dashboard in real time.

“Enabling patients to have the ability to self-manage, while also including family members in the rehabilitation process, is so important. Through using the app, everyone can be involved in the process. Each patient has their own message board too, so can instantly get in touch with their team.”

As well as enabling better communication and a more joined up approach for neuro patients, the fact Neuro ProActive covers remote services has proved an invaluable addition, given the current ways of working.

“This was developed pre-COVID, but now we have this horrendous virus and with it new ways of working, it is even more important,” says Ian.