App for childhood anxiety raises £1.5m

An app to help reduce anxiety in children undergoing surgery has raised £1.5m in investments.

The funds for the app, titled Little Journey, came from NPIF – Mercia Equity Finance, Mercia’s own funds and private investors.

The app enables patients to take virtual tours of the hospital, with interactive animations explaining what will happen and who they will meet at each stage of their hospital journey. It also includes games, relaxation guides and information for parents.

Little Journey has been shown to reduce anxiety by 30 per cent in high-risk patients such as those with autism or ADHD, reduce the number of operations cancelled on the day by 42 per cent and improve recovery times by 30 per cent. It is currently being used in over 50 hospitals worldwide.

The Leeds-based company recently won a contract with one of the world’s largest clinical research organisations planning to use Little Journey to support participants in a complex, international paediatric clinical trial.

The funding will help the business expand its team with 12 new jobs, further develop its technology and drive uptake in the UK and overseas. As part of the investment, the company has appointed Dr Nicolaus Henke, senior partner emeritus of McKinsey and Company and former leader of McKinsey’s Global Healthcare Practice, as chair.

Dr Chris Evans, the company’s CEO, said: “As a doctor, I have witnessed first-hand the anxiety and distress experienced by children and their families before, during and after healthcare procedures.

“Many have to be sedated before a general anaesthetic, even though this tends to delay their recovery. It occurred to me that by using a fun video game format, we could engage these patients, help them prepare for their hospital visit and calm their fears.

“The investment will help us to further enhance the platform to improve patient experience, create more personalised solutions and expand our team to support our internationalisation and rapid growth.”