Abtrace, a health-tech start-up, has raised £2.1 million of seed funding to support its machine learning technology and transform how chronic and long-term health conditions are detected, monitored and treated.

The AI tool integrates with GP practice systems to help identify which tests or treatments a patient with a long-term health condition might benefit from.

The company said it acts as an “intelligent layer on top of the electronic health record”, with the system suggesting actions based on an individual’s medical history, as well as learning from a wider pool of data points.

One example the company provides is that when a patient with diabetes attends a GP surgery for a routine blood test, the Abtrace system will show the GP or HCA, which other tests are due, and suggest additional tests which the patient might benefit from. It hopes to then minimise the need for repeat trips, ensure key tests aren’t missed, and automate routine interventions if needed.

The tool has been tested across several GP practices, where it demonstrated a 30 per cent reduction in the number of HCA appointments needed and halved the number of repeat prescriptions that required a GP appointment to process it.

The company now plans to develop the tool further to spot the early signs of emerging conditions, by taking into account a patient’s symptoms or health issues over a period of time.

Digital innovations in primary care have been a focus for us here at HTN, with our first ever digital primary care conference taking place last month. At the conference, we were joined by Katherine Church, Chief Digital Officer, from Surrey Heartlands CCG, who focused on digital programmes and approaches. 

We also welcomed Dr Ursula Montgomery for a keynote on the future of general practice and Dr Minal Bakhai for our second keynote, focusing on a digital primary care.