Breaking barriers in mental health: A case study from Dr Julian

Dr Julian Nesbitt is the founder of Dr-Julian, a platform that provides tele and virtual health solutions to care providers, reducing waiting lists and helping more people feel better, faster.

Dr Julian shares his experiences of the NHS Clinical Entrepreneur Programme, working with his local Health Innovation Network and the evolution of his technology over the past eight years.

From inspiration to innovation

Dr-Julian was inspired by my experiences as an A&E doctor. During this role, I encountered patients with mental health issues seeking emergency help while on long waiting lists for therapeutic support. Recognising the growing problem of mental health and insufficient resources, I aimed to create a more efficient way to provide care using technology.

The initial platform we built was basic but functional, securing our first contract with an NHS supplier to outsource therapy. Over eight years, we’ve grown and diversified, with the COVID-19 pandemic accelerating demand for online therapy and expanding our geographical reach.

From our humble beginnings, we’ve continuously built upon and improved our foundational technology, incorporating feedback from patients and clinicians.

Today, Dr-Julian has evolved into an all-encompassing platform that can manage the entire process of delivering high-quality therapy efficiently.

My clinical entrepreneur journey

I am a doctor with no prior experience in business or technology development. I wasn’t too fazed about the fact I didn’t know much in the beginning. I focused on learning the skills I needed as I went along. I found the NHS Clinical Entrepreneur Programme (CEP) and support from Health Innovation Kent Surrey Sussex (KSS) vital for developing these business skills and wider support.

Meeting Professor Tony Young, the catalyst for the NHS CEP workforce training programme, was a particularly inspiring moment. He challenged the popular view that clinicians could only be clinicians and instead encouraged doctors like me to innovate and help patients in new ways.

The NHS CEP offered crucial information on basic business principles and provided a network of peers that boosted my confidence and motivation. This network helped me find the experts I needed to succeed in building my business. Working alongside colleagues gave me the drive to persevere and embrace the learning process. This ultimately enabled me to challenge the status quo and create a platform that genuinely helps patients.

Partnering with my local Health Innovation Network

My ongoing relationship with Health Innovation Kent Surrey Sussex (KSS) has been crucial to Dr-Julian’s success. Their support in refining our value proposition, business case, and understanding the NHS’s innovation landscape has been invaluable. Health Innovation KSS has also been instrumental in helping us secure grants and funding, such as a recent UKRI grant for digitising therapy homework.

Health Innovation KSS, along with their evaluation partner Unity Insights, has provided compelling evidence of our platform’s effectiveness through various evaluations. These assessments have helped to demonstrate the real-world value of our innovation and understanding its impact.

The support from both the NHS CEP and Health Innovation KSS has been fundamental in navigating the challenges of developing and scaling a healthcare technology business.

Advice for other entrepreneurs

I would encourage any other entrepreneurs to apply for the NHS CEP. Especially if you have identified a problem, and a potential solution to overcome that challenge. The programme can help you take practical steps to translate your idea into a viable innovation.

My broader advice is about making sure you are clear on the problem you are trying to solve. Take time to articulate it well. You know more than anyone why there is a need for your new product. However, we don’t take the time to think about how to explain this to our potential customers.

Mentoring is an invaluable aspect of developing as an entrepreneur. The NHS CEP’s mentor offering is highly recommended, as it matches you with mentors working in your area or those from whom you can benefit most. Learning directly from others with similar experiences can provide insights and guidance as you navigate the challenges of bringing your innovation to life.

Overcoming barriers

All new businesses face barriers and overcoming them is part of the journey to success. For me, self-belief was a significant challenge, especially when the status-quo was to remain as a clinician rather than pursue an entrepreneurial role. The NHS CEP, particularly Tony Young’s advice, was instrumental in overcoming this.

I also learned that innovation should be approached step-by-step, collaborating with others to address unmet needs and adapting the platform accordingly. This gradual approach allows for flexibility and emphasises the importance of building the right team.

Evolving our platform for the future

Since its inception, Dr-Julian’s platform has evolved significantly, adapting to user needs and expanding its capabilities. Recent developments include:

• Building a completely modular platform: This allows for easy integration of new features that can be turned on or off as needed.
• Licencing our technology to other services: Both domestically and internationally, which has opened-up exciting new avenues for growth and impact in providing a new infrastructure for organisations to operate their services on.
• Expanding into other therapeutic areas: We’re now supporting around 20 NHS services, including supporting child services and soon will expand into ADHD and Autism care.
• Launching our digital therapy homework products to act as a ’therapist in your pocket’ between sessions to improve engagement in therapy homework and reduce the number of sessions required in a course of treatment.

Get in touch

Find out more about the NHS Clinical Entrepreneur Programme and eligibility here. Applications for cohort 9 will open 1st October 2024.

To contact Health Innovation KSS about your innovation, please visit this page for details. We look forward to hearing about your innovation soon.