Business

Tyrone woman launches new tech spin-out to tackle hospital waiting list crisis

Naomh McMcElhatton (left) with fellow Stimuli.ai founder and chief artificial intelligence officer, Prof Barry O’Sullivan.
Naomh McMcElhatton (left) with fellow Stimuli.ai founder and chief artificial intelligence officer, Prof Barry O’Sullivan. Naomh McMcElhatton (left) with fellow Stimuli.ai founder and chief artificial intelligence officer, Prof Barry O’Sullivan.

A CO Tyrone woman has launched a new tech venture aimed at reducing hospital waiting lists.

Naomh McElhatton is chief executive of Stimuli.ai, a new spin-out company from University College Cork (UCC).

The company, founded with Professor Barry O’Sullivan, claims its technology has the potential to radically support hospitals across the island facing a crisis with waiting lists.

The software-as-a-service (SaaS) based solution is a strategic clinical design tool, built to automate labour intensive processes.

The tech firm states that the software can ease pressure on clinicians and administration teams by supporting and guiding hospitals on how to best allocate times that best match their patient category requirements.

There are currently more than 335,000 waiting on a first consultant-led appointment in Northern Ireland, with more than half of those people waiting longer than a year.

Stormont ministers have been told that the north’s hospital waiting lists, already the worst in the UK, will double in the next five years without urgent investment and reform.

According to Stimuli.ai, no such technology solution currently exists to tackle the crisis “which costs the economy billions of pounds per year”. Pressure is growing on the government to take urgent steps to tackle waiting times.

“We are currently engaged with a number of hospital departments throughout Ireland and the UK,” said Naomh McElhatton

“I would encourage hospitals to contact me directly, so that we can identify new pilot sites to support the resolution of this growing crisis.”