Patchwork Health

Why did you start Patchwork Health?

My background is in the NHS as an A&E doctor. During my time training and working in London’s hospitals, I saw how existing staffing systems were failing to support the workforce, the hospitals and their patients. There was limited flexibility for workers, systems were not fit for the rapidly-evolving healthcare landscape, and I could see so much potential for positive transformation. So, with my co-founder, Dr Jing Ouyang, we built a team of fellow NHS clinicians, health sector veterans and tech experts, and - in collaboration with healthcare organisations across the UK - we created Patchwork.

What has been your happiest moment so far as a startup founder?

I feel happy every time I talk to one of Patchwork’s partners and hear directly how our solution is giving back time and fueling savings across the organisation. It’s always great to hear about the improved flexibility that our partners can now offer their workforce, and how this is in turn improving  the wellbeing of their staff and the operation of their service. Having the chance to support the incredible work of healthcare teams in such an impactful way is very rewarding, and something that brings me and my team great joy. There have been times where I’ve seen our app “in the wild”; being used in hospitals or by clinicians. Overhearing NHS staff talking about how it's empowering them to manage their own shifts brings me so much joy. It’s amazing to see the real life benefits of our products.

What is the most important thing you’ve learned to date?

Something that I’ve always believed, but which has been proved time and again as we’ve scaled Patchwork, is that there’s no such thing as a one-size-fits-all solution for healthcare. Every site, every organisation, every team, is unique and requires a tailored approach that meets their specific needs and the needs of their people. This belief means we’ve built products that are highly configurable to each team’s needs. We’ve also really prioritised and invested in our implementation and customer success teams to ensure we can deliver a bespoke approach to change management for each customer. Listening to what your partners and end-users really want (never assume that your understanding is superior to that of the people on the ground) is the best way to ensure that you really help them and maximise the impact of your solution.

Which founders or companies do you most admire?

I really admire the work of my colleague Dr. Nadine Hachach-Haram, a co-managing partner at KHP. I first met Nadine when we were both clinicians at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital and she was in the early days as the founder of Proximie. Since then, Proximie has grown exponentially, and Nadine has built an incredible team, raised impressive investment rounds and is shaping the future of surgery on a global scale. It’s inspiring how she has been motivated by her passion for health equity to build a solution and a company that are saving and transforming lives. All whilst continuing to operate as a Consultant Plastic Surgeon in the NHS!

Which words or phrases do you most overuse?

The phrase “jump on a call” is definitely one I overuse, but for good reason! I’m a better verbal communicator than a written one; I believe that a 5 minute call can be much more impactful than a long email! Good founders are storytellers - they can bring their vision and mission to life with their own words, and this is something that is conveyed much more powerfully when speaking directly to someone. I’m a huge advocate of real-time, authentic communication and that can be made possible so easily with a quick phone call.

What is the quality you most admire in a colleague?

Accountability. When people truly own their role and embrace the problem they need to solve with passion and empathy; that’s when they discover the best solutions. The most valuable colleagues are those who don’t just fulfil the task they’re given, but instead take accountability for it and what comes after it. Team members who feel accountable to their colleagues and the end-users bring so much value to an organisation. It’s a quality we prize here at Patchwork.

What is your current state of mind?

I’m feeling inspired, energised and determined following the close of our £20m Series B investment round. Patchwork’s solution is addressing a significant and urgent need in the healthcare sector, where organisations - the NHS in particular - are in desperate need of systems that build resilience, halt the workforce exodus and address care backlogs. This means it’s more important than ever to continue building momentum and extend the reach of our technology and services. Every healthcare professional deserves to thrive in their roles, and I believe that we are already on the way to making this a reality.

Why did you decide to partner with KHP MedTech?

The KHP team has an unparalleled wealth of expertise when it comes to MedTech innovation. They really believe in Patchwork Health - both in our people, our solution and our mission - and this is very important to us. We are delighted that we will benefit from their support as we continue to scale and innovate.

Looking to the future, what do you hope Patchwork Health will achieve?

Internally, over the coming months we plan to use our new funding to further strengthen our customer-facing teams, ensuring all healthcare partners continue to receive the hands-on, proactive support needed to make each roll-out a success. 

We will focus on continuing to enhance our rostering product, increasing the impact of our bank solution, and tackling the most pressing challenges faced by our partners with renewed focus.

Ultimately, we want to help as many healthcare organisations as possible to become more resilient through the creation of sustainable workforce systems. Our goal is to work with our current and new partners across the UK and beyond to improve staff retention, improve service delivery and outcomes, and turn these organisations into employers of choice.