Case Studies

UNICEF: Empowering Local Researchers for Healthcare Programmes

Challenge

Running healthcare programmes involving large scale surveys can be very challenging because you often get up to date data infrequently, sometime once per year or once every 5 years. This makes it very difficult to monitor and assess the efficacy of the programme.

We worked with the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and UNICEF to develop a tool that would allow local researchers and healthcare workers to quickly analyse local data and extrapolate population statistics.

Solution

We developed a tool based on Lot Quality Assurance Sampling (LQAS) to help local researchers run and manage their healthcare programmes. LQAS gives you a specific framework for running survey for healthcare programmes. It designed to get you the information that you need right now, so that you can act to improve the programme in your area and distribute your limited resources effectively.

LQAS has been used in industry since the 1920’s to control the quality of batch production in factories. It was adapted for use in healthcare programmes in the mid-1980s.

With LQAS you don’t need to know how many people are affected by your programme, you just need to know if the supervision area is reaching its targets or if it is below them. It’s about setting priorities. You can also combine the results from local supervision areas to give you a big enough sample to calculate the precise average coverage for a district as a whole.

“Working with [Patchs Health] has been an absolute pleasure. They have produced a wonderful product for us that is user friendly, scientifically precise, and visually attractive. [Patchs Health] worked with us over the following months to improve the product as we received feedback from users working in field settings. In our experience, it is seldom we encounter a group with such a wonderful sense of professionalism and responsibility. Thanks to [Patchs Health] we have been able to circulate their product to many parts of the world where it is now indispensable to daily work. Well done guys!!”
Prof Joe Valadez, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine

Outcome

The LQAS tools that we developed for LSTM and UNICEF are now widely used across Africa and India by field researchers to run and monitor local healthcare programmes.

You can use the LQAS tools here: LQAS, Large Country LQAS, and Multi-Class LQAS

Find out more

To find out more about how LQAS is being used across Africa by the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and UNICEF by watching the video.

Marcus Ong PhD FIMA

Marcus Ong PhD FIMA

Chief Executive Officer

Marcus is the CEO and Co-Founder of Patchs Health. He is passionate about the positive impact which advanced technology can bring to the field of healthcare, and founded Patchs Health in order to help both patients and care providers realise these benefits.

He is an external academic supervisor and Advisory Board Member at the University of Warwick and a Fellow at the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications (IMA), where he holds a Charter in Mathematics. In his early career Marcus worked in Capital Markets for Citigroup. He has also spent time as an NCA Special for the National Crime Agency, where he advised on the applications of Machine Learning and Data Science.

Marcus holds a PhD in Complexity Science with Finance and an MSc in Complexity Science, both from the University of Warwick. He also has a BSc in Physics from the University of Durham.

Outside of work Marcus loves to travel, watch football and horse ride when he can.

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Youssef Taleb PhD


Youssef Taleb PhD

Lead Data Scientist

Youssef is the Lead Data Scientist at Patchs Health. He manages the development and delivery of all our Artificial Intelligence and analytics projects, working closely with our CTO to identify – and ensure we achieve – our objectives in these fields.

With a PhD and an MSc in Statistics from Imperial College London, as well as a Diplôme d’Ingénieur (MEng) from Telecom SudParis, Youssef continues to be a regular participant in university research projects. He is a GradStat member of the Royal Statistical Society, and supervises Patchs Health internships with PhD candidates. These internships help us to maintain strong links with the most pioneering thought in the academic world.

With a flair for technical complexity and a real enjoyment of the diverse nature of the role, Youssef finds the positive impact which his work has upon patients’ access to healthcare inspiring. He is committed to finding creative ways to solve the problems facing the healthcare industry.

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Chris Crowther SIRA


Chris Crowther PhD SIRA

Chief Information Officer

Chris is our Chief Information Officer. He oversees information assurance and security at Patchs Health, ensuring that, amongst other things, the sensitive data contained within the Patchs system remains safe from online threats.

Chris has a first degree in Computer Science, an MA in Defence Studies and International Affairs, and a PhD in Cybersecurity. With over twenty-five years of leadership and management experience, he is CESG-certified as a Professional Lead Security and Information Risk Advisor (SIRA).

Chris set up the cyber security practices at KPMG and Airbus. He has also held senior roles within the UK Military (as well as in other UK Government departments), the US Military, the US Federal Government, and the United Nations, KPMG and Airbus.

Chris thrives when working on complex projects. He is committed to helping clients achieve digital transformation, and also enjoys passing on his expertise by mentoring more junior colleagues.

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Sean Conner

Shareholder Representative

Sean is an experienced financial professional, who has worked in the capital markets for over 30 years. He represents and looks after the interests of shareholders on the Board.

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Robert Brady PhD


Robert Brady PhD

Non-Executive Director

Robert advises Patchs Health on Business Development. He has extensive business experience, having previously listed his company, Brady PLC – the largest European supplier of software for global commodity trading – on the London Stock Exchange.

With both a PhD and an MA in Physics from the University of Cambridge, Robert is presently an Industrial Fellow at the University’s Computer Laboratory. He is also Treasurer of the Cambridge Angels, and was formerly an Honorary Fellow of the Cambridge Judge Business School.

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Rob Eyre PhD


Rob Eyre PhD

Head of Software Development

Rob is the Head of Software Development at Patchs Health. A full-stack developer with extensive experience across multiple industries, he manages our team of developers and ensures that our software products are of the highest possible quality.

With both an MSc and a PhD in Complexity Science from the University of Warwick, as well as an MSci in Theoretical Physics from University College London, Rob originally joined us as a data scientist. He now works closely with our CTO, CMO and Product Manager in order to define and realise Patchs Health’s long-term vision.

Rob is fascinated by the interconnections between multiple systems. Using complex statistical models, his research has explored a range of public health issues – including the nature of behaviour contagion across friendship networks, and how fertility rates are calculated. His most recent publication sought to determine the causes of food insecurity in rural South Africa.

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Joe Withers

Joe Withers

Data Engineer

Joe is a Senior Data Engineer at Patchs Health. He designs, builds and maintains the infrastructure which supports the way we store and process data. He also develops our back-end code, adding new features to Patchs to ensure that our functionality is always evolving.

The lead developer on one of Patchs Health’s most exciting features, the Telephone Assistant, Joe has both a degree and a masters in Computer Science (MComp) from the University of Bath.

He is a keen footballer – both 11-a-side and 5-a-side – and also enjoys climbing and bouldering in his free time.

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Gwynneth Derere


Gwynneth Derere

Product Manager & Employee Representative

Gwynneth is the Product Manager and Head of Service Delivery for Patchs Health. She makes sure that our users have a smooth onboarding experience, and offers training and continuous support should they encounter any problems.

With over fifteen years of experience in the field, Gwynneth is a specialist in products for clinical systems. She has expertise across requirements management, implementation, software training and sales support, including product demonstrations. She has worked in the UK, Europe and overseas.

Before joining Patchs Health, Gwynneth worked in a diverse range of other care settings. She has also been a teacher, and has a PGCE in Primary Science and Technology. She has a BEng in Electrical Engineering, and spent a decade working in software development.

In her free time Gwynneth enjoys crochet, knitting and sewing, and walking her dog. She is a keen gardener and gains especial satisfaction from growing her own tomatoes.

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Dr Ben Brown, MBChB


Dr Ben Brown PhD

Chief Medical Officer

Ben is Co-Founder and Chief Medical Officer of Patchs Health, as well as a practicing GP and Clinical Senior Lecturer at The University of Manchester. With his frontline knowledge of the challenges facing GPs and patients, he helps ensure that Patchs is as helpful, efficient and safe as it can possibly be.

Ben’s work has been published in over 60 peer-reviewed scientific papers, and he has won awards from the International Medical Informatics Association, British Computer Society, and the Royal College of General Practitioners – amongst others. In addition to his medical training, he has qualifications in Health Informatics (PhD), Public Health (MPH), and Leadership (MSc).

An expert in developing clinical software that uses cutting-edge data science techniques, Ben witnesses daily the benefits that digital interventions can bring. He is particularly excited when he sees these benefits in the lives of patients and healthcare staff in his own practice.

Outside of work, Ben ‘enjoys’ watching football (he is a long-suffering Leeds United supporter), listening to music, and playing the talkbox. He has two young sons – identical twins – and, when he gets the chance, is not entirely averse to a good Scotch whisky.

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Charlotte Watson PhD


Charlotte Watson PhD

Software Developer

Charlotte is a Full-Stack Developer at Patchs Health. She builds all parts of the Patchs’ platform – and fixes things when they go wrong (which doesn’t happen often!). Working across back-end processes, infrastructure, design and usability, she is responsible for the complete end-to-end life cycle of each new Patchs feature.

With a BSc in Biomedical Science and a PhD in Computational Statistics, both from the University of Manchester, Charlotte originally came to Patchs Health as a data scientist. However, once here she fell in love with development, and she hasn’t been able to stop doing it since.

A keen traveller and regular theatre-goer, Charlotte also enjoys playing ice hockey.

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Dr Daniel Sprague


Dan Sprague PhD

Chief Technology & Science Officer

Dan is the Co-Founder, Chief Technology Officer, and Chief Science Officer of Patchs Health. He leads our Technology and Data Science teams, overseeing Artificial Intelligence and software development, as well as our technology infrastructure.

He is an external academic supervisor at the University of Warwick, and previously worked as a consultant for USAID, helping them design immunisation programmes in Africa.

Dan is fascinated by the impact which people’s behavioural choices can have upon public health outcomes – including upon epidemics. His focus during his PhD was mathematical modelling and statistical methods to study those choices and their effects. Dan holds an MPhys in Physics from the University of Oxford as well as an MSc and PhD in Complexity Science from the University of Warwick.

Outside of work Dan enjoys climbing and playing the trumpet.

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Lea Luders

Lea Luders

Software Developer

Lea is a Front-end Developer at Patchs Health. She helps to design and create the Patchs’ interface, so that our users have as positive an experience as possible.

With her background in Business Economics, Lea did not initially expect to work in software development – however, once she started coding she found that the combination of the technical aspect of the work with creativity was compelling. What she most enjoys is being able to make ideas come to life through the element of design.

Originally from the South of Germany, in her free time Lea enjoys reading and horse-riding. She is also a keen traveller.

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Fowziya Begum

Quality Assurance Analyst

Fowziya is Patchs Health’s Quality Assurance Analyst. She thoroughly tests every aspect of our software, including our regular feature updates, to ensure that Patchs users experience as glitch-free a service as possible.

With a degree in Biomedical Engineering and Sciences, before joining us Fowziya worked in other healthcare organisations which, similarly to Patchs Health, place technological innovation and patient care at the forefront of their work. She has always been fascinated by the field, and actively seeks out the latest advancements in healthcare IT in order to improve her skills in the industry.

Beyond her professional role, Fowziya likes to volunteer for local community organisations. She lives with her husband and young son, and regularly helps out at children’s play clubs.

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Mohibur Rahman

Customer Support Analyst

Mohib is our Customer Support Analyst. He provides a first point of contact for users who get in touch, and works hard to make sure that they get the support they need. Mohib also keeps track of all Patchs Health activity. He provides the team with daily data reports, so that we can understand how we are doing.

Prior to joining us, Mohib worked with Vision Health. Before that, he specialised in operational business support at a central government institution.

Mohib is passionate about helping those in need. Outside of work, he is an active charity volunteer and fundraiser. He also participates in field trips with the 13 Rivers Trust, an organization committed to helping provide basic livelihood essentials to the poor in Bangladesh, particularly orphans, widows and the elderly.

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Martin Hickman


Chief Financial Officer

Martin is a senior finance professional whose early career was spent in a number of financial and operational roles in FTSE 250 PLCs. For the last 15 years Martin has worked in a financial capacity with a number of early stage and high growth technology companies..

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Steve Williams

Business Development Advisor

Steve is our Business Development Advisor. He brings more than 3 decades of global experience in technology and data infrastructure to Patchs Health, as well as his extensive management and risk/compliance experience.

Steve has held many senior roles in America, the UK, and in Japan. Previously the Global COO Equity Electronic Trading at Citi, he has also been Head of Trading for BNP Paribas in Japan. As General Manager of Fixnetix, a DXC technology company, Steve focussed on enhancing the operational efficiencies of Investment Banks and trading companies worldwide.

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