I grew up in Anglesey, which is a small island off the northwest coast of Wales. I studied Medicine at Cardiff University and then specialised in Head and Neck surgery at Great Ormond Street Hospital and the Royal Marsden. I spent a total of 18 years training and then practicing surgery within the NHS before handing in my scrubs to launch Cinapsis in 2018.

What inspired you to launch your business and what is the end goal?

I decided to launch Cinapsis after realising that the referrals system within the NHS is completely broken. Patients must wait weeks for appointments, waiting times are ever-growing (even more so as we recover from Covid) and primary care clinicians such as GPs aren’t being given the proper tools to retain specialist knowledge or consult with specialists before making referrals, meaning many patients who end up in outpatient clinics or A&E might actually be better off with another service. I wanted to create a tool that would solve all of these problems. 

Our ultimate goal is to be the tool used by every NHS Trust in the UK to streamline the referrals process, getting patients to where they need to be first time around by facilitating close and quick communication between primary and secondary care teams. With this, we hope to reduce NHS waiting times across the board, reduce the number of patients going to A&E and thus ease pressure on stretched hospitals and staff, whilst improving outcomes for patients through smarter referrals.

What’s the single most important decision that you made that has contributed to the success of your business?

It has to be making the decision to leave surgery behind. It was difficult after training for so many years to leave such a highly skilled and in-demand profession - and it was a big decision. But once I realised there was something I could do to improve access to NHS services and save vital time and resources for clinicians, I knew I had to act. It was hard to ignore the inefficiencies in the system when I was working in the hospital every day. It felt natural that I should do something to fix an issue I felt so passionately about.

How has your experience as a surgeon impacted your business?

More than anything, my experience in surgery has given me a unique insight into the inner workings of our healthcare system and a clear view of what needs fixing. I understand the challenges faced by healthcare professionals better than most, as well as the frustration of patients who must wait weeks for appointments that aren’t always entirely necessary. I’ve seen the issue from the inside, and from every angle, which makes me ideally placed to push for change.

What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learnt so far as an entrepreneur?

The most important lesson I’ve learnt is to set very ambitious long term goals for the company and technology you’re building. What seems very unlikely today, will be the norm in only a few years.

How have you innovated in your sector?

At Cinapsis we’re embracing the use of technology to give primary care clinicians (GPs, community nurses, paramedics and mental health workers) immediate access to specialists from their local hospital. This means, before sending a patient to A&E or referring them for an outpatient appointment, primary care can consult a specialist on the best course of action for that patient using video, voice, image sharing or messaging. It’s a quick and simple process but one that’s making all the difference for those using it. It streamlines the whole referral process to ensure the right decision is made for every patient there and then, cutting out any wasted trips for hospital or A&E and bringing more care into communities. At a time when the NHS is under huge amounts of pressure due to COVID, this has never been more crucial.

What is your advice for other budding entrepreneurs wanting to take the leap?

If you’re solving a genuine problem and you have a strong idea, go for it. If you don’t, somebody else might beat you to it! My advice would also be to hire the right people early on so you have a strong team behind you, as talented individuals will ultimately have a huge role to play in the success of your business in its early stages. You need people in your team who you can rely on and trust.

What plans do you have for Cinapsis over the next two years?

We’re keen to roll out across more Trusts in the UK, so that even more patients and clinicians can benefit from our service. We’re also constantly working to improve our tech to make it as user-friendly and useful to clinicians as possible, as well as introducing new specialities and services. Our ultimate aim is to continue to grow at our current pace and help as many professionals and patients as we possibly can, at crunch time for the NHS.

How do you conquer those moments of doubt that so often affect entrepreneurs or stop many with great ideas – what pushes you through?

As a surgeon I’ve encountered lots of extremely challenging situations, but part of the job is keeping a cool head and pushing through. This is a skill that has definitely helped me conquer any moments of self-doubt with Cinapsis. I’m used to focusing on my work and trusting my training and expertise. I know that Cinapsis has a huge role to play in helping deliver better care to patients so I try to focus on that. As an entrepreneur you have to believe wholeheartedly in what you’re doing. As long as you do this you can overcome any challenge.

How do you believe the evolution of tech will affect your industry over the next 10 years?

The NHS is a notoriously antiquated service in terms of the way it operates internally, despite its cutting edge medicine and treatments. Operationally it works much the same way as it did when it launched 70 years ago, with bleeps and pagers and huge silos between different specialities, teams and settings. There’s so much that technology can do to transform how the NHS operates to improve efficiency, make better use of funding, make better use of clinicians’ time and ultimately, improve care. Cinapsis is just one example of how better communications tools can completely transform a patient’s care pathway for the better. The sky really is the limit in terms of what else the right tech products might be able to do for the NHS and the patients that depend upon it.