Creative thinkers, entrepreneurs and experts from the sector, including people with lived experience, came together at Coventry University’s Technopark for two days of idea generation and prototype trialling. Five finalist teams were selected to present their ideas at The Care Show, the largest care event in the UK, on 12th-13th October at the NEC in Birmingham. Good luck to the finalists: Team Care Tech Guide, Team Chip, Team Fall Free, Team Myghty and Team Star. The winning team will receive £1,000 in prize money, media coverage and mentoring to develop their idea.
Introducing Team CHIP
Remember these names – Lauren Stacey and Megan Hamill. Megan joins me on Zoom and I’m struck by her true entrepreneurship, intelligence, drive for change and creativity. It is by far one of the most progressive and motivating conversations I’ve had in a while. If the care sector needed a reason to harness young talent, look no further than the care innovation finalists.
CMM: So, what prompted you to attend the weekend?
Team CHIP (Megan): I went up to Coventry by myself and I didn’t know what to expect. My innovation department at Bristol University sent me through the details – my lecturer encouraged me to sign up and apply.
TEAM CHIP (Megan): When I arrived, I met Lauren who I formed a team with. Lauren works with adults who have learning disabilities at Skills for Care – she’s so knowledgeable about the care sector. She found an issue with adults with learning disabilities managing their money and, in particular, the lack of autonomy, responsibility and independence when it comes to managing their finances.
CMM: How would you describe CHIP?
Team CHIP (Megan): CHIP stands for cash for independent people. It’s a banking app that supports adults with learning disabilities in digital transformation – it’s fully tailored to what people need. At the Coventry event, we pitched three prototypes – one using voice prompts, one using symbols and images, and there were different colours people could use. I think it’s important to remember that different people need different things and that’s where the innovation side of things comes in. Money is becoming digitalised and we are benefitting from it, but people with learning disabilities are being left behind.
CMM: How did you discover the need for the app?
Team CHIP (Megan): In the UK, there are 1.1 million adults with learning disabilities and Lauren and I explored the apps which are currently on the market, such as challenger, revolut and Monzo – people with learning disabilities can’t use those apps. CHIP is a combination of the two apps and that’s what we got across to the judges – that there isn’t anything in this space. We understand the need and that’s where our idea was born.
CMM: Where does your passion for innovation come from?
Team CHIP (Megan): My dad was in an accident in 2010 and he’s in a wheelchair. He lost his legs; he can’t walk. This obviously had a toll on his physical and mental health. Dad was also the main breadwinner in our family and since the accident has no control over his finances. I don’t even know if he has a bank account, but he doesn’t have a bank card. My mum gives him money to go to the shop. I just think if something was in place to help them, it would give Dad some independence and a sense of control and greater
self-esteem. So our idea can expand beyond people with learning disabilities too.
CMM: How will your skills and Lauren’s strengthen the project?
Team CHIP (Megan): Lauren and I just hit it off! I think our skill sets just merged quite nicely. Lauren has the experience and the knowledge, and I’ve got the technical and product development and design skills. So, I think that was a big part of it too that we work so well together. I’m studying geography and innovation at university, and I have been working on a sports app for university students. I get involved with anything I can!
CMM: What are the next steps for the project?
Team CHIP (Megan): We are going to establish relationships with local authorities to see if there is a cheaper route to market. We are also exploring holding focus groups in Northamptonshire. We have existing connections and will be getting in touch with Cube Disability to hold these groups. We have also looked into the Go Henry app and will be considering global competitors and potential app growth. The design is the fun part! I’m also really looking forward to setting out a clear mission and vision for CHIP.
One idea is to create a version of the app for personal assistants, so if they are shopping then the person with a learning disability can approve the payment on their app and retain independence.
CMM: How would you describe your time at the Care Innovation weekend?
TEAM CHIP (Megan): The weekend was probably the most organised Care Innovation weekend I’ve been to. From start to finish, everything was streamlined so well. I learnt so much about the care sector, left with so much knowledge and gained so many insights from everyone who was there – mentors, participants and judges.
Lauren of Team CHIP said, ‘The challenge weekend was a fantastic opportunity to meet with people from different sectors to talk about the big topics in social care. Megan and I have been able to draw on our different strengths and experiences to create an idea that we hope could make a real impact on the lives of people with learning disabilities. I’m excited to see where the journey takes us!’
Team CHIP’s Mentor, Paula Fairweather, from Think Local Act Personal’s National Co-production Advisory Group, said, ‘It was an absolutely fantastic weekend at the Care Innovation Challenge; co-production and ‘Making It Real’ its best. I feel so privileged to have been part of an amazing team of people.’
Introducing Team Myghty
Vasudev Menon, Zeke Steer and Prabha Thirthahalli Venkatesh are the faces behind Team Myghty. The intelligent trio have big ambitions and with Zeke, Chief Executive Officer of Milbotix, in the team, they will be putting everything into the final race. Milbotix primarily develops smart socks for people with neurocognitive disorders, improving the management of stress and agitation.
Vasudev is going into his third year of computer science at university and Prabha is studying a master’s degree in data science. Prabha is also working with Zeke on data science at Milbotix.
CMM: Tell us about your innovation idea.
Team Myghty (Vasudev): Team Myghty’s innovation is an app to foster employee recognition and team working to improve staff retention. Something that a lot of the mentors mentioned was retention – we found out that the turnover in the care industry is 34%. This is more than double the national average of 15%.
Having a positive work environment is something that helps staff stay at that workplace for a long time. We wanted to develop something to support this – that’s how we decided on the care community.
CMM: What’s your message behind the brand?
Team Myghty (Vasudev): Lots of care homes currently work on paper-based systems and the workforce will take a photograph of the staff rota. If we can bring that onto a phone, then staff know who to approach for extra shifts. We hope the app will be a community and social media platform for staff to talk to each other.
We also have the idea of a dashboard page where people can post good news and notes. Our mentor, Shona King of Greensleeves Care, told us that they have a physical noticeboard in all their care homes. Care workers can write a positive note and we thought digitalising that will keep the positivity going.
CMM: There’s also a reward element to the app, is that right?
Team Myghty (Prabha): If we could incorporate something into the app which showed when a worker has taken on extra shifts, then we could reward staff with Amazon vouchers for example – to acknowledge and recognise the staff who have put the hours in. We are trying to set up some meetings with care homes currently.
CMM: What are your future plans for the app?
Team Myghty (Prabha): The app, although it’s been developed for the care sector, has applicability in many sectors. It could be something that comes out of the care sector and is used in multiple sectors. A long-term idea is to make this app a one-stop-shop for all care workers’ needs. We thought we could create a mental health wellbeing app, incorporating training and skills. We have a meeting with Neil Eastwood soon, founder and Chief Executive of Care Friends, which will help and we are meeting with care home focus groups to aid our market research. We are also planning to connect with Lauren Stacey from Skills for Care.
CMM: How would you describe your experience of the Care Innovation weekend?
Team Myghty (Zeke): I was clear that the idea the team developed would be theirs to carry forward. I thought the challenge was such a good opportunity to get different perspectives on the care sector. It’s not often that you get so many different people in a room with different perspectives, understand what the challenges are, be that vehicle to develop ideas and solutions and get some feedback directly. It was an amazing event.
CMM: How did your family and friends react to the news that you were finalists?
Team Myghty (Prabha): They were happy! It was very unexpected. We were so happy to be in the finals, and we hope the app becomes something useful in the community – we are really looking forward to The Care Show in October!
The team have some serious support, too. Recruitment and retention specialist, Neil Eastwood, said, ‘I think Team Myghty has the genesis of a high potential innovation. Deskless employees, such as our care workforce can feel isolated and unconnected to their organisations. The app has the potential to strengthen these bonds and offer features which could meaningfully improve care workers’ job quality. I am watching it with interest!’
For more information about the Care Innovation weekend, visit https://careinnovationhub.org.uk/
To contact Team CHIP, email Megan at: [email protected] and Lauren at: [email protected]
To contact Team Myghty, email: [email protected]
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