Punto Health: the importance of co-design for the dementia management platform

In this case study, Anna Muñoz Farré, the founder of Punto Health, highlights how the AI-powered innovation links patients, families and clinicians to enable ongoing, personalised support.

With the cost of dementia in the UK projected to reach £90 billion by 2040, there is an urgent need for innovative solutions across the pathway, including in post-diagnostic support. This includes a lack of sufficient information and emotional support for people with dementia and their families, which we aim to transform through our personalised platform and strong NHS partnerships, fostered through Leap.  

Punto Health’s AI-powered digital platform aims to offer a new approach to dementia management through two components: PuntoCare for patients and carers, and PuntoClinic for healthcare providers. The platforms provide personalised evidence-based care plans, continuous support and remote monitoring capabilities. This aligns with NHS priorities for digitally-enabled care, whilst supporting independent living for people with dementia.

Putting co-design at the heart of our solution

Most of us know someone affected by dementia in one way or another. In my case, it was my grandfather. You quickly realise that these conditions affect not only the person with dementia but the entire family.

Through over 30 in-depth interviews with patients, carers, and clinicians, we identified critical gaps in current dementia care models, including:

1. Lack of continuous personalised support; care plans are generic and lack proactive content
2. Limited remote monitoring capabilities, currently dependent on phone calls
3. Poor care coordination across primary/secondary care and community services
4. Carer burnout, with high levels of stress and anxiety. There is a clear need for continuous, personalised support for patients and carers, integrated with current care standards

As an engineer specialising in AI and clinical data, I saw the vast potential for technology to revolutionise cognitive care models. However, as a non-UK founder, I found that understanding the NHS landscape, building the right connections, and establishing credibility to launch Punto Health and address these challenges required a completely different approach from what I was familiar with in Spain. The importance of connecting with stakeholders across the UK health sector has been a significant learning curve, but it motivates me to bring an outsider’s perspective to solve these challenges.

Developing our platform through Leap

The Leap programme has been transformative in helping me navigate the UK healthcare landscape. Through the programme, I’ve gained crucial insights into NHS procurement processes, information governance requirements, and pathways for clinical validation. The programme’s extensive network has been invaluable in bridging the gap between being an international founder and establishing strong UK healthcare connections.

The mentorship and networking opportunities have helped me understand the nuances of implementing digital health solutions within the NHS framework. Through the programme’s guidance, we’ve been able to shape our solution to better serve UK healthcare needs and build relationships with key stakeholders who understand both the challenges and opportunities in dementia care.

It was also really interesting to meet fellow founders who are going through the same process and have faced similar challenges. I’ve learned a lot from conversations with them.

Looking forward

Our mission is to continuously support patients with dementia and their carers, and empower clinicians to give the best care possible. We are incredibly proud that Punto Health is being driven by real-life experiences, most recently by a group of patients and carers who are volunteering to test the solution and provide valuable feedback.

One example is Maria Rosa, who at 89 years old and living with dementia, has been using PuntoCare for 8 weeks. She has completed over 1,000 cognitive exercises and there have been 26 care plans completed.

…doing these exercises makes me feel good – it gives me a sense that I’m keeping my brain active and that it helps me.

– Maria Rosa, PuntoCare user

Another one of our biggest successes so far is our clinical partnerships in the NHS and Spain. Our clinical validations start in March 2025, with a planned launch of PuntoCare in the summer. We want to prove an increase in quality of life for both patients and carers through our solution while reducing GP visits, hospital admissions, and long-term treatment costs.

“I give [patients] advice after diagnosis, but I’m not sure if they’re listening to me. A tool to continuously guide and support them would make a huge difference.
– NHS Memory Service Clinical Lead

Learn more about Punto Health by visiting the website and connecting on LinkedIn using the links below:

Website | LinkedIn

Anna Muñoz Farré, Founder of Punto Health, was part of the DigitalHealth.London Leap programme.

The DigitalHealth.London Leap programme is funded by the UK Government via the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF). It is delivered by the Health Innovation Network (HIN) South London in partnership with the Office of Life Sciences, CW+, Medicity, NHS England, the Mayor of London and the Levelling Up Fund.

For more information, please visit https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-
shared-prosperity-fund-prospectus.