Cera, Europe’s largest HealthTech and the Number 1 ranked HealthTech in the UK, has reached a landmark moment in its journey to transform healthcare: delivering 100 million patient home visits since it launched just nine years ago.
This is equivalent to over 5,700 years of continuous face-to-face care time – enough to stretch from the Bronze Age to today. In terms of volume, it is comparable to visiting every home in the UK four times, or every person aged 65+ ten times over. It took Cera seven years to reach 50 million visits, and just two more to reach 100 million – reflecting how Cera is accelerating its mission to empower people to live longer, better lives, in their own homes.
To mark the milestone, Cera’s Founder & CEO Dr Ben Maruthappu delivered the company’s 100 millionth visit himself, to one of Cera’s oldest service users – Monica Thomas, aged 102 – who continues to live independently in her own home thanks to Cera’s support and carers.
Cera is pioneering the use of technology and AI to transform the healthcare landscape – shifting healthcare from hospital to home, and empowering its 10,000 carers and nurses with tools that predict and prevent health risks before they happen – cutting hospitalisations by more than half and reducing falls by up to 20% amongst the older and vulnerable people they care for.
Dr Ben Maruthappu, Founder & CEO of Cera, said: “I was motivated to launch Cera and transform the care sector after going through the challenges of organising care for a loved one first-hand.. Nine years on, it’s incredibly rewarding to look back and see how far we’ve come – building something with real, meaningful impact for so many people just like Monica.
“100 million is a milestone most consumer tech platforms only ever reach in app downloads, not real-world impact – reinforcing our role as a category-leading healthcare AI platform.
“Every single one of our 100 million visits has been delivered with the precision of a digital platform, combined with the empathy of a carer – now at the scale of an international enterprise, placing Cera among the Europe’s largest technology-enabled service providers.
“But the real achievement is what these visits represent: hospital admissions prevented, £1 billion saved for the NHS and Government, and longer, healthier lives for older and vulnerable people – with families reassured that their loved ones are safe and well, in their own homes. It’s a privilege to be making a difference at this scale.”
Monica Thomas, a 102-year-old service user from Essex, was filled with praise for her carers: “They’re wonderful – they’re part of my family really. Most importantly, they’re kind, and that’s all we elderly people really need. Kindness.”
As well as improving the lives of those they care for, Cera’s technology also offers peace of mind for families who often shoulder the burden of care – including a Family app with instant updates for family members about how their loved one is doing.
Monica said she values the independence this gives to her loved ones: “I think it’s wrong to expect them to be here fussing around me all the time. They should be living their own lives – enjoying life.”
Cera was this year recognised by TIME Magazine as one of the World’s Top HealthTech Companies – also picking up a Newsweek AI Impact Award for Best Outcomes – Patient Care. Founder & CEO Dr Ben Maruthappu is the only entrepreneur to have won both EY’s UK Entrepreneur of the Year Award and the Great British Entrepreneur of the Year Award, for his impact on the future of health and care.
Now Europe’s largest and fastest-growing HealthTech, and by far the UK’s largest technology-led home care provider, independent analyses have shown Cera has saved the NHS and Government more than £1 billion since it launched – contributing £1.5 million in daily savings and cutting the cost of care 10 times over. Cera’s AI-backed model was also recently shown to reduce carbon emissions from healthcare 15 times over – building a more environmentally as well as financially sustainable future for the sector.
Cera has recently expanded into home care robotics to make care more scalable and accessible. A leading healthcare innovator, Cera licenses its proprietary technology to other care providers, to extend the reach and impact of its preventative approach. The company is also developing groundbreaking healthcare research partnerships with life sciences companies – aiming to improve quality of life and health outcomes for over-65s, for generations to come.
