Success at TechRound for D.A.D that could change the NHS

Autumna founder Debbie Harris has been honoured by TechRound with an award for TechRound 100.

TechRound is the UK’s best-known and fastest-growing start-up and technology news website. It’s where decision makers, investors and start-ups like Autumna find the latest developments that help shape the thinking behind innovation.

Ivan Poupyrev, a former executive at Google, was one of the judges who awarded Debbie 12th position out of the hundreds of applicants from start-ups across the UK and Europe. We’re immensely proud of Debbie and the D.A.D technology that has captivated the care and technology industry. Here’s why:

The NHS discharge process doesn't work 

This time last year, in December 2022, an average of 13,440 patients per day remained in hospital despite being ready to leave. Why?

One of the reasons was no suitable care that could be found for them. Thousands of care homes, care providers and specialists across the UK yet no suitable care could be found and so the result then and now, is thousands of vulnerable people left waiting for weeks, sometimes even months.

Bed blocking is getting worse 

Caused by a lengthy manual process and poor communication between the discharge team and care provider.

Patients who stay in hospital when they are ready to be discharged are at higher risk of hospital-acquired infections and of losing mobility and independence. This stark fact is a reminder that this pressing issue needs our attention, now.

Thanks to entrepreneur Debbie Harris and the Autumna team, there is a solution to bed blocking that can be implemented quickly - it's a plug in and go solution, available right now.

Reducing bed blocking would have a national impact

The potential to reduce bed blocking in hospitals would have a significant impact on the health of patients, the NHS budget, care providers and the mental wellbeing of staff.

When beds are taken up by patients who are ‘medically fit for discharge’, it causes a cataclysmic chain reaction. From the people waiting in A&E for a bed, to the people waiting outside A&E in ambulances and those left at home waiting for paramedics, the current situation is frustratingly dire.

The solution

We have already built the technology to resolve this issue and aptly named D.A.D, it’s primary function is to find the right care for older patients, quickly.

D.A.D stands for Dashboard for Accelerated Discharge and is an automated system that generates a list of available care providers in 60 minutes.

Currently, the NHS spends crucial time calling countless care services, often with no reply. The quality of the information provided about the patient can be minimal and may result in an unsafe discharge.

D.A.D has specific and broad filtering capability

Our founder Debbie Harris, has worked with care associations, care providers and unpaid carers to make sure DAD finds the right care.

Once filtered by location, type of care and budget the system identifies appropriate care providers who can then be filtered even further to search for a range of provision, for example bariatric care.

Crucially, care providers must respond to the care seekers within 60 minutes, encouraging efficiency and most importantly, finding quality care for someone in need.

This issue will not disappear without action

Debbie Harris and the Autumna team are determined to improve the discharge process with the aim of rapidly opening up the care options available to patients waiting in hospital. With better choice and clearer information passed on to care providers, people can confidently leave hospitals, knowing they have a quality care service waiting for them.

Intrigued about D.A.D?

We want to provide greater control over care options by innovating further and collaborating with industry experts and care providers who are working towards the same goal. Can you help? Do you have some insight into the discharge process, feedback on D.A.D, or do you have an idea that could further advance the solution?

We’d love to hear from you on X, Facebook or email. Alternatively, we’ve got a fantastic team of care industry experts ready to listen and they can be reached on 01892 335 330.