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The Health Innovation Network (HIN) South London’s “Reimagining Dementia Pathways” panel at ConfedExpo 2025 brought together perspectives from clinical leadership and the frontlines of innovation. The session was chaired by Ayobola Chike-Michael, Senior Project Manager in the Mental Health team at the HIN. She was joined by colleague Dr Antonio Ruiz-Gonzalez, Project Manager in the Digital Transformation and Tech team at the HIN; Zunera Khan, Research Portfolio Lead at the NIHR HealthTech Research Centre (HRC) in Brain Health; and Matea Deliu, GP Clinical Lead at South East London Integrated Care System, and Lead Medical Advisor at Neu Health. Ayobola Chike-Michael and Dr Antonio Ruiz-Gonzalez share reflections on the state of innovation in dementia in this co-written blog.  

Around a million people in the UK have dementia, and this is expected to rise to 1.4 million by 2040. Leaps have been made in recent years as dementia blood testing might be a possibility soon, and promising disease-modifying treatments are in the final phase of clinical trials. With these rapid advancements happening in diagnostics, therapeutics, and systems thinking, the panel conversation could not be timelier. Our session brought together voices from clinical leadership, research, and frontline innovation to reflect on where dementia care is now, and where it is going.  

Dementia care landscape 

With over 60 attendees in the audience, we opened the session by introducing the HIN’s Dementia HealthTech Horizon Scan – Autumn 2024. The scan, developed jointly by the HIN and NIHR, is a snapshot of the current innovations in the health tech landscape for early diagnosis of dementia. We reviewed 43 companies, most of them early-stage, exploring approaches ranging from cognitive assessments and blood-based biomarkers to brain imaging using AI. While many of these technologies are still building their evidence base, the direction is clear: there is real momentum in this space, and the promise of earlier, more accurate diagnosis is growing. 

Innovation beyond diagnosis 

Innovations enabling dementia patients to be diagnosed at earlier stages also expands the window of time for therapeutic interventions and care planning. This extra time allows for dementia patients and their families to prepare and explore options that improve their quality of life. This is opening space for innovators in both the therapeutics and care sectors to respond with solutions tailored to earlier-stage dementia. 

The next two editions of the Dementia Horizon Scans highlight some of the treatments and care innovations on the market today. It includes cutting-edge technologies like virtual reality which are already beginning to reshape dementia care itself. For example, Recreo VR, a company that is part of the Mindset-XR Innovation Support Programme delivered by the HIN, integrate virtual reality solutions for care homes to improve resident’s mental and social wellbeing. Their service was co-designed with individuals affected by dementia to prioritise the best outcomes for patients. There was consensus among the panel that structured programmes like Mindset-XR, as well as partnerships, are vital for supporting and scaling these emerging innovations. 

Partnerships and collaboration 

Zunera Khan, Research Portfolio Lead, shared insights on how the NIHR HealthTech Research Centre in Brain Health partner with organisations to accelerate real world solutions. Much like the HIN and it’s work through DigitalHealth.London, the HealthTech Research Centre acts as a bridge to collaboration. Her team’s collaborations span Association of British HealthTech Industries, MedCity, academics, clinicians, and other Health Innovation Networks. The HRC is playing a vital role in helping innovation translate into patient impact. 

By connecting innovators with the right partners in the early stages, the HRC helps shorten the journey from concept to market. This means that once new technologies are proven to be safe and effective, they can be adopted by the NHS quicker, meaning patients will also benefit from them sooner. As we know, for diseases like dementia, time is of the essence for patients and their families. Speeding up innovation ensures that patients receive intervention in the earlier stages, when it can make the greatest difference to their quality of life. 

Patient-centred systems 

Dr. Matea Deliu’s dual lens, as a GP and an innovator, steered the conversation towards patient focused innovation in dementia care. Representing Neu Health, Dr. Deliu introduced their remote patient monitoring technology for management of chronic neurological conditions, such as Parkinson’s and dementia. The vision behind it was to design a continuous, person-centred, and data-informed care tool that will be accessible for all. Their tech uses smartphones to connect suspected cognitive decline patients to a memory clinic triage and onward tracking.  

She showed us how their approach keeps the person at the centre of care. By using digital biomarkers, wearables, and remote monitoring tools, healthcare professionals can get a clear overview of the patient's past and present clinical state. This allows for more personalised interventions, which in turn can result in better outcomes for patients. The patient-centred system has already shown enhanced clinical outcomes as clinicians report significant improvements in care and clinical outcomes for 90% of patients. This was a particularly compelling portion of the conversation as it brought the importance of patients lived experiences into focus. 

Conclusion  

Overall, the panel offered grounds for optimism regarding the direction and pace of innovation in the dementia space today. Dementia remains one of the most complex challenges in the healthcare system, but growing alignment across the system is helping to drive necessary change. Structured programmes, strong partnerships, and co-design with patients were identified as the key components for accelerating effective innovations. Beyond technological progress, the prospect of adopting these innovations into the NHS offers patients and their families the opportunity for earlier intervention, and a better quality of life. 

From AI-powered diagnostics to virtual reality therapies and remote monitoring tools, the conversation also highlighted how early detection creates opportunities for timely treatment and personalised support. The HIN’s Dementia Health Tech Horizon Scans continue to map and contribute to the evolving landscape of innovations in the dementia space, and you can access the reports below.