Fresh from our victory at the 2025 HSJ Digital Awards for "Reducing Health Inequalities Through Digital", we unpack the story and numbers behind the project that captured the judges' attention.

1. The Challenge: Lewisham's hidden hypertension crisis

Lewisham ranks among the 15 per cent most deprived local authorities in England, and until recently only 55 per cent of people living with hypertension in the borough had their blood pressure under control, a full 25 percentage points below the national ambition of 80 per cent.

Behind that statistic are real people: residents who are three times more likely to experience a stroke or heart attack than their London neighbours. Many had stopped engaging with the healthcare system altogether, and 69 per cent fell into the NHS CORE20PLUS5 cohort.

2. A new model of care

South East London Integrated Care Board (SEL ICB) partnered with Suvera to try something different:

• Data-driven case finding. We risk stratified 5,000 patients directly from the GP electronic record.
• Proactive, multi‑channel outreach. Personalised SMS, letters and scheduled calls reduced "Did Not Attend" rates and met people where they were.
• Virtual, pharmacist‑led clinics supervised by Suvera GPs delivered treatment intensification without adding pressure to local estates.
• Continuous tech plus human follow‑up. Our web app triaged every blood pressure submission, triggering automatic care pathways and on‑demand consultations.

3. Six‑month results at a glance

"I think the online clinic is great, it takes the anxiety out of visiting the surgery." - Lewisham patient

4. Economic impact: saving time, money and lives

• 7,500 GP appointments saved across two PCNs during the pilot period, freeing clinicians for those who need face to face care.
• £170k in primary care savings plus an estimated £800k in avoided stroke costs.
• Overall the programme delivers a 9.7x return. Prevention really does pay.

Read the full report

5. Recognition on the national stage

On 15 July 2025 Suvera and SEL ICB were shortlisted in two categories at the HSJ Digital Awards and took home the trophy for "Reducing Health Inequalities Through Digital".

The judges praised the project for "demonstrating measurable impact in one of London's most deprived boroughs through smart use of data, behavioural science and clinician‑led virtual care".

6. What's next: scaling across South East London and beyond

With hypertension control now close to the 80 per cent national ambition, SEL ICB plans to expand the model across neighbouring boroughs and to other long‑term conditions such as diabetes, COPD and heart failure.

At Suvera our mission is simple: manage patients early and often so the NHS can be there for all of us when we need it most.

Ready to transform population health?

If you are an ICB, PCN or forward‑thinking practice looking to tackle long‑term conditions at scale, let's talk.