Paloma Health has raised £2m ($2.56m) to roll-out its autism assessments for children in the UK National Health Service (NHS).
This pre-seed funding round, led by Triple Point Ventures, Heal Capital and experienced angel investors – including the co-chair of the Cambridge Health Network – will help Paloma Health provide its first NHS-backed service, offering autism assessments for children and young people within four weeks.
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Paloma Health accepts referrals from any NHS general practitioners (GP) in England through the NHS “Right to Choose” scheme, offering autism assessments at no cost to families. As an official NHS provider, Paloma’s diagnostic outcome reports are recognised by local authorities, which is often not the case for private assessments.
The NHS “Right to Choose” scheme is a policy in England that allows patients for specific services – such as mental health or autism evaluations – to choose from a list of different NHS providers rather than being restricted to their local trust.
To accelerate the process, Paloma Health has collaborated with clinicians to revamp care pathways, aiming to make NHS services more person-centred and accessible. Expanding beyond autism, the startup plans to address conditions like ADHD, dementia, allergies, and dermatology. Additionally, Paloma Health develops software and artificial intelligence (AI) tools to help clinicians reduce administrative tasks.
Paloma Health’s CEO Mark Jenkins said: “The current waiting times for autism assessments are very disappointing, with most families facing years of uncertainty. Our expert clinicians and engineers have redesigned the care pathway to offer families timely access to high-quality NHS care. This funding allows us to change the lives of many families and support the NHS to tackle waiting lists.”
This announcement aligns with UK government plans to digitalise the NHS, with a forthcoming “ten-year health plan” aimed at revitalising the service. Lord Darzi’s September independent report outlined the plans’ key themes, including leveraging technology and AI to enhance productivity and shorten wait times.
In a related move, the Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation recently partnered with London-based patient engagement platform DrDoctor to prepare for the “winter surge”. DrDoctor’s app allows patients to manage appointments, access letters, and view care notes from any mobile device, with future plans to integrate the app into the hospital trust’s system for real-time information sharing.
