DDM Health, whg and University of Warwick awarded SBRI funding to empower women with chronic health conditions

A groundbreaking new project, GroW, aims to empower women with chronic health conditions by providing a personalised and adaptive digital health tool to support long-term health management. The project, spearheaded by DDM Health, in collaboration with Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick and Walsall Housing Group (whg) has been selected for funding through the SBRI Healthcare Women's Health competition.

Launched on International Womens Day, the “GroW” project will address the unique needs of women living with chronic conditions such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity, and mental health issues. Using the well-established NICE accredited Gro Health digital platform, GroW will provide women with adaptive care plans that evolve with their changing health needs, life stages, and cultural backgrounds, ensuring accessibility for those facing the greatest health disparities.

The Gro Health app is NICE HTE14-accredited, NHS DTAC-certified, and is supported by eight peer-reviewed research studies that demonstrate its benefits for individuals managing a range of long-term health conditions, including obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and associated mental health issues such as stress, anxiety, and depression.

Charlotte Summers, Founding Chief Operations Officer at DDM Health and Honorary Clinical Scholar at University of Warwick, said: "This is a landmark project. By focusing on the specific needs of women managing long-term health conditions, GroW ensures that the solutions we create embed lived and loved experience. Through this project, we aim to overcome the social determinants of health that have long contributed to health disparities. By working with whg and the University of Warwick, we are ensuring that these solutions reach those who need them most, helping to break down the barriers to care and empower women to take control of their health across the lifecourse."

GroW’s focus on empowering underserved women aligns with the NHS’s Core20PLUS5 approach which targets health inequalities in the most deprived areas. Through whg’s network of Community Champions, the project will engage women living in social housing, ensuring that the solution is both accessible and relevant to the needs of diverse populations. This unique collaboration leverages the combined expertise of DDM Health in digital health technology, whg’s community engagement experience, and the research capabilities of the University of Warwick.

Dr. Petra Hanson, Clinical Academic working at University of Warwick and University Hospitals of Coventry and Warwickshire, commented: “The opportunity to co-develop this tool with women who are most at risk of long-term health conditions will ensure that GroW addresses real-world challenges in chronic disease management. This project will not only improve health outcomes but will also reduce the reliance on traditional healthcare services, making it a scalable solution for women nationwide.”

GroW’s development will include a robust co-production strategy, working closely with women from whg to gather their input through workshops, surveys, and focus groups. This feedback will directly inform the customisation of the Gro Health platform ensuring that it meets the diverse needs of women from different socio-economic backgrounds.

Connie Jennings, Director of Stronger Communities at whg commented "whg are delighted to be working in partnership with DDM Health to address health inequalities affecting women. This collaboration will ensure women can influence the design of the services they receive. Far too often women are offered services that don’t consider their lived experiences, and this gap in understanding widens when we review the health outcomes of disadvantaged women. Through this partnership we look forward to talking to the women who live in our homes, connecting them with the design process, and enabling them to shape services that truly reflect their needs and experiences."

Judith Stewart, Director of Economic, Commercial and Business Development at Health Innovation West Midlands commented “We are proud to support initiatives like the GroW project, which exemplify innovation and collaboration in addressing health inequalities. This groundbreaking effort not only highlights the power of co-production with women who bring vital lived experience of chronic disease but also underscores the potential of adaptive digital tools to improve health outcomes. GroW’s focus on empowering women aligns perfectly with our commitment to reducing disparities and fostering inclusive healthcare innovation across the region.”

The project’s commitment to reducing its environmental footprint is also a key feature, as GroW integrates energy-efficient technology and adheres to a net-zero strategy, aligning with NHS goals to reduce carbon emissions.

The goal is to roll out the solution to NHS and local authority partners, providing a scalable tool to address the chronic health challenges faced by women, particularly those in disadvantaged communities.

This work was commissioned and funded by SBRI Healthcare. SBRI Healthcare is an Accelerated Access Collaborative (AAC) initiative, in partnership with the Health Innovation Network. The views expressed in the publication are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of SBRI Healthcare or its stakeholders.