Digital Health Coffee Time Briefing ☕

Your morning summary of digital health news, information and events to know about if you want to be “in the know”.

👇 News

💊 Online chemist Pharmacy2U has partnered with health IT company Healthcode to give private healthcare patients the option of paying for their prescription online and having it delivered the next day. The integration builds on Healthcode’s platform by making it easier for practitioners to issue prescriptions electronically, which in turn reduces time spent on administration and gives patients a faster, more convenient way to receive their medication.

🚀 Event management company MCH Group and founder platform Bits & Pretzels have announced a joint venture to relaunch the health.tech event, set to take place in Basel, Switzerland, from 3–5 March 2026. The new company, health.tech Events AG, will be co-owned by the two partners and aims to create a platform for healthcare innovation in Europe. 

🤖 Southmead Hospital, part of North Bristol NHS Trust, has become the first site in the South West to own a dedicated gynaecological surgery robot. Southmead’s Women and Children’s division is now home to a “state-of-the-art” da Vinci Xi surgical robot, which will be housed in the hospital’s gynaecology department. The robot will be used to carry out a range of gynaecological procedures, including hysterectomies and excision of endometriosis. 

👀 Focus Clinics, a laser eye surgery provider in London, has become the first clinic in the UK to perform ray-tracing-guided LASIK. The procedure uses a digital model of the eye to map how light travels through the cornea and lens, allowing the laser to be adjusted with greater precision. The technology has been shown to deliver visual acuity close to twice as sharp as 20/20 in most patients.

📣 Pocketalk will be exhibiting at The Primary Care Show at NEC Birmingham on 14–15 May 2025 to showcase its real-time translation device, which is designed to support more effective communication in healthcare settings. The appearance follows a study, funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research, involving GP surgeries in Southampton, which found that Pocketalk improved interactions with patients who face language barriers. 

❓Did you know?

Nearly three in four Europeans say they would share their health data if it meant receiving a treatment plan tailored to their individual needs, according to global research from Johnson & Johnson MedTech, published on 7 May 2025.

A survey involving more than 11,000 adults and nearly 1,000 healthcare professionals across 11 countries found that Europeans are more willing than their US counterparts to support data-sharing for personalised care, with 73% in favour compared to 67% in the US.

Among European healthcare professionals, 89% believe data and technology will play a key role in supporting personalised care, while 92% say it improves surgical precision. Support is also high for tech-enabled training, with 79% of the public and 87% of professionals backing its use in preparing the next generation of clinicians.

📖 What we’re reading

The Health Foundation has published early findings on the uptake of non-clinical AI in the NHS in a blog titled ‘On the cusp: early insights on non-clinical AI in the NHS‘, released on 25 April 2025.

The report finds that, while there is growing interest in using AI to reduce administrative burdens and improve staff experience, there is limited awareness about successful use cases among NHS decision-makers , who often lack the evidence needed to make informed procurement choices.

In a review conducted with the Health Innovation Network, researchers identified 190 non-clinical AI products marketed to the NHS, with 46 in use across 70 NHS sites in England, mostly in HR, rostering, scheduling and workflow support.

The findings suggest that demand for AI in non-clinical roles is rising, but adoption remains uneven, with most activity concentrated in London. The Health Foundation will publish detailed case studies later this year to explore implementation and impact.

🚨 Upcoming events

22 May 2025, online – Celebrating healthcare transformation at scale