Congratulations to the winners of the Health Tech Digital Awards | Health Tech Digital

Why good health technology belongs in homes and communities as well as hospitals

On 8 July 2024, Health Tech Digital announced the winners of the Health Tech Digital Awards 2024, and the VR Wellness Programme at Apax, a supported housing social enterprise in Lewisham, South East London, won Best Use of Virtual Reality. It was recognised alongside NHS organisations and health technology companies. The recognition belongs to residents, staff and partners alike.

It was a proud and humbling moment. It also showed how health technology can reach people in community settings, far from hospital wards, where support is part of everyday life. Everyday settings can be powerful places for wellbeing to grow.

Best Use of Virtual Reality 2024

Health Tech Digital thanked everyone who entered and noted that difficult decisions had to be made, given the quality of the solutions. Best Use of Virtual Reality was one of many categories announced that day. Every winner had worked hard to reach that point.

The publication's overview explained that 100% of Apax's residents live with at least one mental health issue, which led the organisation to explore virtual reality as a therapy tool. That simple starting point shaped everything that followed.

Apax worked with trusted technology partners Tripp, Meta and Insight. The overview described a trial in which a small sample of residents used the technology over an eight-week period.

Results From a Small Trial

According to Health Tech Digital, the trial's results included smoking cessation, more positive thoughts and 40% of the sample moving to independent living. These were encouraging outcomes, shared with thanks to the residents who took part.

Following those results, the trial was rolled out on a wider, more permanent basis. The aim, as the overview explained, was to increase residents' confidence and improve their overall mental wellbeing. That decision reflected confidence in what residents had experienced.

For a supported housing provider, results like these matter because they show change happening where people live, rather than only in a clinic or on a ward. Progress in everyday surroundings can be especially meaningful for the people concerned.

Health Beyond the Hospital

When people think of health technology, they often picture hospitals: scanners, patient records and digital wards. Those advances matter enormously, and many of the 2024 winners worked in exactly those settings.

Yet much of health happens elsewhere. It happens in homes, hostels, community centres and supported housing, in the ordinary moments when someone decides whether to go out, get some fresh air or reach out for help. These are the moments where wellbeing is shaped, quietly and over time.

Technology that reaches people in these settings can complement clinical services, offering support at times and in places where it fits naturally into daily life. Community and clinical support can work hand in hand.

Community Settings Alongside NHS Innovators

The list of winners included NHS organisations such as North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust and the NHS Innovation Accelerator, alongside many health technology companies. It was a varied and impressive group to be part of.

Seeing a supported housing social enterprise named among them is a reminder that innovation is not limited to large institutions. Good ideas can come from any setting where people pay close attention to what others need.

Each kind of organisation has something to offer. Hospitals bring clinical expertise, while community providers bring daily relationships and a detailed understanding of the people they support. Both are needed, and both are strengthened by learning from each other.

Why Place Matters

Support offered where people live can feel less intimidating than a formal appointment. There is no waiting room or unfamiliar building, just a familiar space and a trusted face nearby. That sense of familiarity can make it easier to try something new.

Recognition for that kind of everyday, close to home approach is especially welcome. You can read more about Apax winning at the Health Tech Digital Awards 2024 in our Awards section.

For many people, small steps taken in a familiar setting feel more achievable. Confidence built at home can then carry into other parts of life, from appointments to new routines.

Partners in Health Tech

The programme depended on partnership. Health Tech Digital named Tripp, Meta and Insight as the trusted technology partners Apax engaged with to make the trial possible. No single organisation could have done it alone.

Collaboration between technology companies, health services and community organisations is likely to matter more and more. Each brings a different view of what people need and how best to offer it.

Awards like these help those different worlds meet. They place community work and clinical innovation side by side, and invite each to learn from the other.

Gratitude and Next Steps

Apax is grateful to Health Tech Digital and its judge for the recognition, and congratulates every winner and entrant. Above all, thanks go to the residents whose willingness to try something new made the trial possible. It took courage, and it is deeply appreciated.

The work continues with the same focus: helping people feel more confident, more settled and better able to move towards independent lives. Gratitude and curiosity will continue to guide what comes next.

You can read the full list of winners and their overviews in Health Tech Digital: Congratulations to the winners of the Health Tech Digital Awards 2024.