Cera, the digital home healthcare provider, today announces the appointment to its Advisory Board of four new members: Lord Wood of Anfield, Hilary Evans, Benjamin Wegg-Prosser and Samantha Jones.
Collectively, these four individuals bring unrivalled expertise in clinical research, social care transformation, policy and business strategy to Cera, strengthening its position at the forefront of health and social care innovation.
These new advisors will play a vital role in guiding Cera as it continues to evolve and refine its services to meet the needs of our ageing population and relieve the mounting pressure on the NHS.
Cera’s predictive, preventative technology reduces the need for hospitalisations by up to 70%, by predicting 83% of health deteriorations and events such as falls, tracking symptoms, enabling carers and nurses to respond to 5,000 high-risk alerts each day and treating common conditions like UTIs from the comfort of patients’ own homes.
The company’s AI-led technology predicts health deteriorations 30-fold faster than traditional care companies, meaning it has the potential to prevent A&E visits, shorten waiting times and keep patients out of hospital, creating a bold new model for the future of healthcare provision.
Lord Stewart Wood of Anfield brings 20 years’ experience working at the most senior levels in Westminster and Whitehall, including nine years as Senior Special Advisor to Gordon Brown and five years as a Senior Advisor to Ed Miliband. He was appointed to the House of Lords in 2011 and is a Fellow of Magdalen College, Oxford, and Oxford’s Blavatnik School of Government. Lord Wood will advise Cera as it continues to work collaboratively with government and the NHS to build a healthcare system fit for the future.
Hilary Evans brings more than a decade’s experience working as CEO of Alzheimer’s Research UK, where she has overseen significant income growth, advancing the organisation’s vital research. Ms Evans has also led Age UK’s campaigning work, is a Member of the World Dementia Council and was appointed in March 2023 to co-chair the UK government’s National Dementia initiative, which aims to draw lessons from the COVID vaccine taskforce to accelerate dementia research. Ms Evans will work closely with Cera as the company looks to build a more sustainable healthcare system of the future for our ageing population, including advancing care, research and treatment options for patients living with neurodegenerative conditions.
Benjamin Wegg-Prosser is CEO and Co-Founder of advisory firm Global Counsel, and brings rich experience working across business, politics and the media, including two years as Director of Strategic Communications for Tony Blair, as well as spells working in the Department for Tech & Innovation and in Cabinet Office. Mr Wegg-Prosser has also worked at The Guardian as publisher of Society Guardian, where he worked closely with the health and social care community. He will advise Cera on areas including policy, and partnerships as the company looks to work collaboratively across the sector to drive innovation and transformation in health and social care.
Samantha Jones brings experience working at chief executive level across both the public and private healthcare sectors, managing multiple complex organisations across acute, community and primary care as well as leading a national programme prototyping future models of care. She was appointed as COO of the new Office of the Prime Minister in 2022, having previously been Boris Johnson’s Expert Advisor on NHS Transformation and Social Care. Since leaving public office full-time, Ms Jones has been appointed as the lead NED at the Department of Health & Social Care. She is also a Trustee of the Alzheimer’s Society. Ms Jones will strengthen Cera’s strategy to transform social care provision across the UK, driving operational efficiencies, innovation and improving the quality of treatments and care provision as Cera continues in its mission to build a social care system fit for the future.
Dr. Ben Maruthappu, Founder & CEO of Cera, said: “Lord Wood, Hilary, Benjamin and Samantha will support us in our mission to solve one of the major economic and societal challenges of our time: how to build a sustainable healthcare system of the future as our population ages and pressure on the NHS grows.
“Their strategic advice and counsel will be invaluable as we work closely with government and the NHS to predict and prevent illness, reduce hospitalisations, shorten waiting times, and empower patients to live longer, healthier lives in their own homes.
“We’re delighted to welcome them to our Advisory Board and look forward to working with them to transform health and social care through our technology and AI.”