Answer Digital has strengthened its healthcare division with the acquisition of Interneuron, a provider of specialist healthcare digital systems.

Leeds-based, Answer is an employee-owned digital consultancy that works extensively across the NHS to support everything from deploying AI at scale to GP interoperability. It also provides private-sector companies with services ranging from data and software engineering to artificial intelligence and cloud computing.

Interneuron provides cutting-edge software to healthcare organisations with its Open Modular Care Record, openMCR, which supports direct patient care in inpatient, outpatient, and virtual care settings.

The acquisition, for an undisclosed sum, will add product expertise to Answer’s 20-year history of enabling digital transformation across industries, including healthcare and finance. The breadth of the partnership between the two parties accelerates growth, and all roles will be retained.

Commenting on the deal, Richard Pugmire, CEO of Answer, said: “Bringing the two teams together will enable Interneuron to expand rapidly, by allowing them to focus on product development, with support for EPR implementation, data and integration services from Answer.

“Answer’s AI toolkit and award-winning AI implementation best practices will enhance Interneuron’s cutting-edge product suite and drive significant growth potential. Answer, perhaps best known for incubating products and start-up ideas, now has a dedicated long-term product unit, which will enable us to deliver innovative, scalable solutions across all sectors.”

Interneuron has partnered with NHS Trusts for over six years to develop, deliver, and support open-source clinical software solutions. These projects empower NHS organisations to replace outdated technology with cutting-edge software, transforming data integration, storage, and utilisation. Interneuron’s open-source philosophy ensures accessibility, allowing NHS Trusts to freely download, test, and implement the software, or opt for support from Interneuron.

Joel Ratnasothy, CEO at Interneuron, said: “We are thrilled to join an employee-owned company that shares a commitment to its values and people. Bringing our teams together will have an incredible impact on our current and future customers. It’s clear that our companies share a passion for reforming healthcare services through digital transformation and the power this can have to drive efficiency and improve outcomes for all stakeholders.

“The openMCR platform is a truly open modular care record that has been designed and built from the ground up to give our customers the most control of their data, at a time when data has become the key to genuinely achieving healthcare service transformation.”

Answer recently received national recognition for the Artificial Intelligence Project of the Year at the UK IT Industry Awards for its pioneering work in advancing AI, and accelerating the diagnosis of cancer, stroke and other health conditions in the NHS.

For more information visit https://interneuron.com and https://answerdigital.com.