Amagi Health

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NHS Problem

Over 944,000 people in the UK live with dementia, costing the NHS and social care £30 billion annually. When families notice concerning signs, they face a broken pathway: no clear guidance on when to seek help, GP referrals leading to 2-week to 2-year memory clinic wait times, and little to no coordination during this critical period. People deteriorate without support, families struggle alone (35-47% of working-age adults quit jobs to care), and chaotic transitions to residential care occur with minimal information transfer. This fragmentation results in preventable A&E admissions, delayed diagnoses, and premature care home placements, driving up costs while leaving families unsupported during the most vulnerable time.

Founder Story

Dr Ishtar Govia founded Amagi Health after 15 years as a dementia researcher working across underserved populations in Jamaica, the Caribbean, the USA, and the UK. Leading/co-leading £8M+ research programmes (NIH, Wellcome, Jamaica Ministry of Health and Wellness, STRiDE, DAC), she witnessed the devastating impact of fragmented dementia care systems firsthand – including when her mother-in-law in Jamaica showed early signs but faced massive care coordination gaps. Despite extensive evidence indicating what needed to change, the pathway remained broken. Amagi translates this evidence into action: a digital platform ensuring families in London – and beyond – never navigate dementia alone.

The Solution

Amagi Health is a digital health company developing a Class IIa Software as Medical Device (SaMD) for dementia triage and care coordination across the full care pathway.

Our platform provides:

  1. Community-based triage with evidence-based “traffic light” risk assessment, helping care coordinators evaluate the urgency of family concerns.
  2. Care coordination during 2-week to 2-year memory clinic wait times, linking families to appropriate resources.
  3. Standardised handoff protocols ensuring information continuity when transitions to specialist or residential care occur, currently shaping piloting with primary care networks and care providers, targeting ICB/Local Authority commissioning for NHS-wide deployment.

Impact

Amagi targets three critical cost drivers in dementia care:
  • Delayed Care Home Placement: 6-12 months delay through better community support and coordination. With 70,000+ annual dementia-related care home admissions at £35,000-£50,000/year, even modest delays generate substantial savings while improving quality of life.
  • Reduced Inappropriate A&E Attendances: 20-30% reduction in avoidable emergency admissions during the pre-diagnosis period through proactive risk monitoring and family support. Current dementia-related A&E costs exceed £1 billion annually.
  • Carer Employment Retention: 47% of dementia carers quit jobs (650,000+ people). Platform support during diagnostic wait times could reduce employment losses by 15-20%, preserving tax revenue and reducing benefit costs.
  • Real Early-Stage Impacts:
  • Currently validating through the CRDC NHS testbed partnership in 3-5 London primary care practices (target: 150+ family concerns triaged over 6 months). Care home coordination pilots targeting improved CQC ratings through standardised documentation and reduced admission incidents.
  • Projected Scale (Year 2): 10-15 ICB practices, 500+ families supported, £2-3M in avoided NHS costs through delayed placements and reduced emergency care.