Optima Health secures first licence deal for DART tool
By Josh White
Date: Tuesday 11 Feb 2025
(Sharecast News) - Optima Health announced on Tuesday that it has secured its first licence agreement for its proprietary 'Digital Assessment Routing Tool' (DART) with Mersey & West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.
The firm, demerged from its AIM colleague Marlowe last year, said the deal followed a successful four-month quality improvement study that demonstrated DART's effectiveness in improving patient safety, pathway efficiency, cost savings, and patient and clinician satisfaction.
DART, which is fully owned by Optima, is DTAC-certified and listed on the NHS Innovation Service.
The company said the tool provides a digital first point of contact for patients self-referring for musculoskeletal care, offering an alternative to clinician-led triage.
It said the system assesses patients in an average of eight minutes, and directs them to the appropriate care pathway based on urgency and complexity, in line with the NHS's 'Getting It Right First Time' approach.
The agreement had generated significant interest from other NHS musculoskeletal services, the board explained, creating a new sales pipeline for Optima Health.
Optima said it sees potential for DART to support NHS efforts in reducing patient waiting lists.
DART had undergone substantial investment and development, with validation conducted in collaboration with Queen Mary University of London.
"We are excited to announce this first licence today for Optima's proprietary tool, DART," said chief executive officer Jonathan Thomas.
"Whilst the value of this initial licence is not material in the context of the group's overall revenue and profits, it aligns with the company's growth strategy to expand into adjacent markets.
"Following the successful four-month quality improvement study, we have received significant interest from other NHS trusts and breaking into this new market, as planned, will provide a healthy new sales pipeline for Optima Health."
At 1204 GMT, shares in Optima Health were up 1.02% at 172.75p.
Reporting by Josh White for Sharecast.com.
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