top of page
Search

The Impact of COVID-19 on Health Innovation: Insights from OHT Brighton

  • One HealthTech
  • Feb 10
  • 5 min read

The OHT Brighton event, COVID's Impact on Health Innovation, brought together leading figures from the healthcare and technology sectors to discuss how the pandemic reshaped the industry. 


Moderated by journalist Nkem Ifejika, the discussion featured Olivia Stamp and Karrie Liu, who shared first-hand experiences of working on the frontlines of healthcare innovation during this unprecedented period.


From left to right: Karrie Liu, Olivia Stamp and Nkem Ifejika
From left to right: Karrie Liu, Olivia Stamp and Nkem Ifejika

Olivia Stamp - Founder of Uncommon Threads

Olivia’s career began in venture capital at Entrepreneur First, followed by a pivotal role at Accurx, a company that played a crucial part in the NHS’s digital transformation. During the pandemic, Accurx saw its GP usage rise from 50% to 98% within six weeks as clinicians scrambled to adopt remote communication tools. Olivia was instrumental in ensuring NHS procurement processes adapted quickly to support this shift. She emphasised the need for digital trust at a time when remote healthcare became a necessity rather than a luxury.

One of the standout moments from Olivia’s experience was the rapid development of new digital solutions. In March 2020, the Accurx team built and launched a new product over a single weekend to address an urgent need within the NHS. This kind of agility, she noted, was only possible because of the crisis-driven momentum, raising important questions about how to sustain such responsiveness in the long term. Her work helped lay the foundation for lasting digital adoption within the NHS, demonstrating how crisis-driven change can lead to enduring improvements.


Karrie Liu - Founder of Hypatia Analytics

As a specialist in healthcare data analytics, Karrie was at the heart of NHS England’s pandemic response. She developed advanced modelling systems to forecast vaccination needs, hospital capacity, and service disruptions. Her work helped NHS leaders make informed, real-time decisions to allocate resources effectively. Using tools such as Excel and Palantir, she played a key role in ensuring that vital services, from cancer diagnoses to staff training, could continue despite immense pressures on the system.

Karrie highlighted how the pandemic underscored the value of data-driven decision-making in healthcare, not just in crisis moments but for the long-term future of the sector. She also reflected on the extraordinary collaboration between different teams and organisations, which allowed for unprecedented innovation and efficiency. Additionally, she shared the personal reason that drove her to focus on using maths and analytics to address healthcare problems, illustrating how her work is deeply rooted in a desire to make a tangible impact on people's lives.


The Challenge of Sustaining Innovation

While the pandemic accelerated technological adoption, sustaining this momentum presents a significant challenge. The panel reflected on the initial urgency that enabled rapid change but noted that systems have since begun reverting to pre-pandemic risk aversion. One of the biggest barriers remains NHS procurement, which often prevents smaller tech firms from engaging with public healthcare. Olivia and Karrie stressed the importance of reforming these processes to enable more seamless collaboration between the private sector and the NHS. They also pointed to the unprecedented level of cross-sector cooperation during the pandemic, which must not be lost as the industry moves forward.


Lessons from COVID-19 and Future Opportunities

The speakers emphasised several key takeaways:

  • The Power of Data: Improved accessibility to health data could unlock further innovation and streamline NHS services.

  • Regulatory Challenges: Simplifying procurement processes is essential to ensure cutting-edge technologies reach clinicians and patients faster.

  • Collaboration and Trust: Building stronger relationships between private health-tech firms and public institutions will be crucial for future progress.

  • Long-Term Agility: The pandemic proved that rapid adaptation is possible in healthcare—maintaining this mindset is key to continued improvements.



Final Thoughts…

The OHT Brighton event highlighted the transformative impact of COVID-19 on healthcare innovation but raised more questions about whether much has changed longer term. Both Olivia and Karrie provided insights into how the crisis forced the industry to rethink digital adoption, data analytics, and collaboration. While the pandemic accelerated necessary change, the challenge now is ensuring these advancements are embedded into long-term healthcare strategies. The conversation reinforced that, despite the difficulties faced, the past few years have created an opportunity to make healthcare more efficient, data-driven, user-centered and adaptable to future challenges.

Big thanks to Barclays Eagle Labs for hosting us and providing drinks and pizza, and thank you too for all the kind support from Silicon Brighton for making the event run so smoothly. 



📚 Mini Reading List: NHS Policies, Healthcare Innovation & Case Studies


During the talk, several books, case studies, and NHS policy documents were referenced - in case you want to go deeper on these topics, we’ve asked a friendly AI to help us turn these into a reading list!



📖 Case Studies & Books on Healthcare Innovation
1️⃣ Taiwan’s Healthcare System & Citizen-Driven Innovation

Taiwan was highlighted as a leading example of digital public health response during the COVID-19 pandemic. Their real-time mask distribution system, open data initiatives, and citizen-led technology solutions were used as models of agile and transparent governance. This aligns with themes from Citizens by Jon Alexander, which explores how governments can better engage people in decision-making and crisis response.




2️⃣ Mariana Mazzucato’s Public Innovation Model

The role of government-led innovation in shaping healthcare and technology was discussed, referencing Mariana Mazzucato’s work on how state-driven investment has historically driven breakthroughs in health, technology, and infrastructure.

  • Book: The Entrepreneurial State: Debunking Public vs. Private Sector Myths – Mariana Mazzucato - interesting side note, Mariana Mazzucato was based at Sussex University while developing these ideas, before she headed over to UCL 🙂

  • Learn More: UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose




📜 NHS Policy Documents & Healthcare Initiatives
3️⃣ NHS Procurement Reform & The New Procurement Act

Discussed in relation to barriers for health tech startups, concerns about monopolisation of NHS suppliers, and how procurement policies impact innovation in healthcare.




4️⃣ Federated Data Platform (FDP) & NHS Data Access

The NHS Federated Data Platform (FDP) aims to centralize health data for better efficiency while balancing privacy concerns and private sector involvement.




5️⃣ NHS AI Strategy & Innovation in Healthcare

The NHS is investing in AI-driven tools for diagnostics, screening, and operational efficiency. AI’s role in breast cancer detection and future medical advancements was a key discussion point.




💡 Conclusion


From Taiwan’s citizen-driven digital health response to NHS procurement barriers and AI innovations, these readings offer deeper insights into how healthcare systems can modernise and remain resilient.

Would you add anything to this list? Let’s discuss! 🚀💬


bottom of page