CMM meets David Grey
CMM: How did you find out about the Care Innovation Challenge?
David Grey: I first learned about the Care Innovation Challenge through the Care Show’s newsletter in 2024. The idea of industry professionals, technology enthusiasts and people with lived experience coming together to find innovative solutions for the care sector resonated with me. I applied and was fortunate enough to reach the semi-finals in 2024. I made valuable connections that helped me secure a successful NIHR funding application, so I decided to re-apply in 2025.
CMM: What is your connection to the care sector?
DG: For several years, I was the primary carer for my grandmother, who lived with dementia. Caring for her taught me firsthand about the challenges families and professionals face in maintaining dignity, safety and wellbeing for people requiring daily support. I felt the worry of not knowing whether she was OK overnight, the stress of co-ordinating care with limited resources and the advantages of readily available technology to assist individuals with care needs.
CMM: Can you tell me about your product?
DG: SleepWell is an AI-supported wellbeing and sleep monitoring system designed for people with acquired brain injury (ABI), cognitive impairments or long-term conditions, but with clear benefits for older adults more broadly. It combines passive sleep tracking using under-mattress sleep analysis pads with AI wellbeing check-ins delivered via the telephone.
CMM: What market research have you conducted?
DG: Before developing SleepWell further, I carried out market research across several groups:
- Care agencies: Many confirmed that routine morning visits consume one-two hours per carer per day. They welcomed a tool that could automate the reassurance side while escalating only genuine concerns.
- Informal carers: Families told me they constantly worry, especially if their loved one lives alone. They described SleepWell as something that could offer peace of mind without being intrusive.
- Local government and commissioners: Discussions revealed that cost savings are a high priority. Technology that can reduce unnecessary visits, hospital admissions or crisis interventions is highly attractive.
- Residents and care recipients: Importantly, people living with ABI or dementia expressed appreciation for an approach that was empathetic, conversational and did not feel like surveillance.
CMM: What feedback have you had about your product?
DG: Feedback from early pilots and demonstrations has been encouraging. Care recipients report feeling reassured by the personalised prompts, describing the AI as ‘friendly and supportive’. Carers highlighted how the AI-generated summaries provided a snapshot of their wellbeing before a visit, enabling better prioritisation and focus.
From a business perspective, stakeholders were excited by the operational efficiencies. One care agency noted that if even a fraction of routine calls were replaced by SleepWell, the time saved would allow carers to focus on tasks that require human interaction, thereby improving quality without increasing costs.
CMM: Where would you invest if you won the challenge?
DG: If successful, there are three areas I would prioritise:
- Scalability of pilots: Expanding trials across different care settings (homecare, retirement villages, residential care) to gather evidence of impact at scale.
- Integration with existing systems: Ensuring SleepWell works seamlessly with care management software, such as Nourish, to avoid duplication and maximise efficiency.
- Personalisation and accessibility: Developing more customisable conversation pathways, with options for different languages, accents or cognitive needs, so that SleepWell can serve diverse populations.
CMM: What challenges have you faced and how have you overcome them?
DG: One of the biggest hurdles was ensuring meaningful Patient and Public Involvement (PPI). Recruiting people with ABI or cognitive impairments to participate in testing and feedback was not straightforward. Initially, I struggled to reach the right people and create safe, accessible spaces for their voices to be heard.
This is where the Care Innovation Challenge community proved invaluable. Mentors and stakeholders introduced me to networks of carers, residents and professionals who could offer feedback. With their support, I refined my approach to engagement, making it more inclusive and effective.
Another challenge was balancing the technology’s potential with the sensitivities of the care sector. AI is often viewed with scepticism, and concerns about privacy, reliability and empathy are common. Overcoming this required a strong focus on trust and transparency, emphasising that SleepWell is a tool to support, not replace carers.
CMM meets DentaBlue
CMM: How did you find out about the Care Innovation Challenge?
Molly Baldini: I found out about the Care Innovation Challenge through doing some research into the Care Show in Birmingham. As the founder of a start-up, I am looking at how I can gather customers and build up that brand identity. I discovered that the finalists of the Care Innovation Challenge end up at the Care Show, so I thought this was not only a good way to give myself the opportunity to get to the Care Show but also an opportunity for me to meet like-minded individuals and practise talking about my product and verse myself on my elevator pitch.
CMM: What is your connection to the care sector?
MB: Day to day, I work for the NHS as a Dementia Service Manager within a general hospital trust and it covers four hospitals, so I live and breathe dementia every single day. My product DentaBlue has come from me witnessing my patients who are in the hospital having their oral care needs neglected, not through the fault of anybody but due to a fundamental lack of staff, appropriate resources and awareness about the detrimental effect it can have on someone living with dementia – not just on their oral health and hygiene in general but actually on their mood and the way that they are presenting throughout the day.
CMM: Can you tell me about your product?
MB: DentaBlue is a jelly-based gummy designed to support people living with dementia when they are unable to brush their teeth. Although it is not a substitute for brushing teeth, it is packed with ingredients that help to reduce bad bacteria in the mouth, so it reduces your likelihood of getting diseases. It also contributes to the person’s comfort and helps to maintain the dignity of the person living with dementia.
CMM: What market research have you conducted?
MB: I have been speaking directly with care homes, homecare agencies and carers of people living with dementia who are still living at home. I have also started to research and understand what products are already out there on the market. There are things like swallowable toothpaste out there, but that still requires the conventional use of a toothbrush. People living with dementia might not be able to use a toothbrush themselves independently or they might not be able to have the support of a carer or they may refuse the support of a carer to assist them with that.
People often say to me, ‘Can’t we just use mouthwash?’ or ‘Why can’t my loved one just chew gum?’ and actually those are still products that are not tailored to the specific needs of people with dementia. 57% of people living with dementia in a hospital setting cannot gargle safely, which can lead to aspiration, which can lead to pneumonia. It is the same with chewing gum. People living with dementia might not have the cognitive skills or the motor skills to remember to chew, which could pose a risk.
CMM: What feedback have you had about your product?
MB: The feedback has been overwhelming. It has been really positive. I have had a dentist say to me before that they are concerned about this product because what if it stops people brushing their teeth? But the reality is that only 3% of people who are living with dementia according to a study in the British Dental Journal are actually remembering to brush their teeth every day, so if we have got something that is able to fill that gap and fill that fundamental of care, then that is absolutely vital and it is better than not having that support for someone.
CMM: Where would you invest if you won the challenge?
MB: I would be looking at utilising some of that money to support more digital marketing research. At the moment, I am self-funding and not seeking investment as I would rather be able to do the first one hundred to a thousand sales if I can off my own back. Because of that, things like digital marketing and creating that brand identity can become expensive and that would be what I would want to utilise the money for – building up that customer base, so I can get that retention.
CMM: What challenges have you faced and how have you overcome them?
MB: I am making a completely new product, so the first challenge was understanding how to make this product. I am in my kitchen every single day developing a brand-new, self-funded product from my own home. I am very lucky that my partner is a food scientist, so we are able to create the product at home but it is a massive challenge to make a product that is safe and effective for use.
For the five finalists it all comes down to preparations for The Care Show on 8th and 9th October. Follow @CareInnovHub and use #CareInnovationChallenge for updates.