Innovation research themes

Rehabilitation, Frailty & Dementia

Research Aims

People

Projects & Case Studies

Developing and evaluating HealthTech to improve rehabilitation

We work with industry partners to co-develop, evaluate and accelerate the adoption of HealthTech that improves rehabilitation, independence and quality of life for people living with frailty, dementia, mobility problems and long-term conditions.

Our theme brings together patients, carers, NHS teams, academic researchers, innovators and health and care organisations across the South West. Working from real clinical and patient needs, we help innovators develop technologies, generate evidence and evaluate solutions that can support recovery, improve mobility and enable more personalised rehabilitation.

Enhancing ageing and rehabilitation through HealthTech

As people live longer, more individuals are living with frailty, dementia, multiple long-term conditions and complex rehabilitation needs. Health and care services must respond to this growing demand in ways that are safe, effective, inclusive and sustainable.

HealthTech has an important role to play. Our research focuses on technologies that can support rehabilitation and independence, including wearables, sensors, robotics, artificial intelligence, digital rehabilitation tools and remote monitoring systems.

We are particularly interested in how these technologies can be developed with patients and clinicians, evaluated rigorously, and translated into everyday NHS and community care.

Working with people, partners and industry, we aim to:

Improve safe mobility for people living with conditions such as dementia, Parkinson’s disease, arthritis, diabetes, stroke, frailty and fractures.
Develop and test HealthTech that supports rehabilitation at home, in hospital and in the community.
Support companies to refine, evaluate and demonstrate the real-world value of rehabilitation technologies.
Support the implementation and adoption of evidence-based rehabilitation technologies that address the needs of an ageing population.
Integrate digital and technology-enabled rehabilitation into clinical pathways to reduce waiting times and support patient-led recovery.
Improve transitions between hospital and community care, supporting sustained recovery and independence.
Build an inclusive research ecosystem involving patients, carers, clinicians, charities, researchers and industry partners.
Strengthen rehabilitation research capacity across the Southwest and beyond.

Addressing growing demand for rehabilitation services

The Southwest has one of the oldest populations in the UK. Frailty and long-term conditions create increasing demand for rehabilitation, community care and support for independent living.

Our theme responds to this challenge by developing and evaluating HealthTech that can support proactive care, targeted community services and more personalised rehabilitation. This includes work linked to hospital-at-home models, smart monitoring, technology-enabled rehabilitation trials and digital tools that support recovery after illness, injury or surgery.

A collaborative approach to HealthTech innovation

We have a strong track record in rehabilitation, orthopaedics, therapeutic exercise, biomechanics, digital health, artificial intelligence and technology evaluation. This breadth allows us to support HealthTech development from early concept development and co-design through to clinical evaluation, evidence generation, implementation and adoption.

By working closely with universities, NHS organisations, patients, carers, industry partners and national research networks, we help accelerate the development, evaluation and adoption of innovative technologies, generating the evidence needed to bring effective solutions into routine care and improve outcomes for patients.