A Finnish health technology company is stepping up efforts to expand into the NHS after launching its autonomous health screening platform in the UK and showcasing the technology to healthcare leaders at London Tech Week.
“We founded the company because we felt like somebody had to do something about the prevention of cardiovascular disease,” Vili Kostamo, CEO of MedicubeX, told Building Better Healthcare.
“In the UK, there is the NHS Health Check that is for screening of cardiovascular risk factors, early detection, but the rest of Europe does not have this, and even here, the coverage is only approximately 50% of eligible people.”
MedicubeX has developed the eHealth Station, a self-service health pod designed to allow patients to carry out a range of non-invasive health assessments without clinical staff present.
The system is already in use across Finland, in three German university hospitals, the Baltics and now in the UK.
It has been deployed through South Downs Health and Care, a GP federation serving practices across East Sussex.
The company was exhibiting at London Tech Week before heading directly to the NHS ConfedExpo in Manchester, where executives planned meetings with NHS leaders as part of efforts to integrate the technology into NHS services.
Kostamo said the company was established to address growing pressures on healthcare systems, including ageing populations and workforce shortages.
We wanted to develop the fastest, most convenient, most scalable possible way to check the stuff that is in any way possible to do without staff, he said.
Why the focus on cardiovascular disease?
Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death worldwide, accounting for an estimated 19.8 million deaths annually, according to the World Health Organization.
Most cases are linked to preventable risk factors and can be reduced through earlier detection and intervention.
In England, around 15 million people are eligible for an NHS Health Check every five years, and the programme has the potential to prevent 1,600 heart attacks and strokes and avoid at least 650 premature deaths a year.
However, fewer than half of eligible adults have attended a check in recent years since 2019, according to the National Audit Office.
The self-service health pod was designed to help prevent heart attacks, strokes and other cardiovascular conditions through earlier identification of risk factors.
Inside the health pod
Entering the MedicubeX pod, users are greeted by a touchscreen interface offering a choice of more than 10 languages.
After entering basic information such as age and height, the system guides them through a series of measurements using integrated medical devices positioned within arm's reach.
“There's a number of medical measurement devices within an arm's reach in there. There's no dangling wires, no cables, everything's there, and there's also no disposables, as it’s self-sanitising,” explains Kostamo.
Inside the health pod, the process included an AGE-reader assessment, temperature screening, pulse and oxygen saturation measurements, blood pressure monitoring, body composition analysis and ECG-based cardiovascular screening.
The system provides step-by-step instructions throughout, with users able to skip any test if required.
The process takes an average user under five minutes, and once completed, the pod produces a printed report on a receipt showing individual measurements, graphical readouts and an overall health assessment.
At exhibitions, the printout serves as the only copy of the results because personal data is not retained under GDPR rules.
In healthcare settings, however, results can be transferred directly into clinical systems for review by healthcare professionals.
MedicubeX partnered with US-based InterSystems to support integration with electronic patient record platforms.
“In Finland, there's a certain national software solution in use across the country where we already offer the option of authenticating yourself with a digital ID, and you can actually book an appointment from there.”
Kostamo said that for the first time, the eHealth Station at the London Tech Week conference also featured an optical stethoscope.
“We are here exhibiting now with lighthearted AI, they’re a UK-based company and they make [the optical] stethoscope, which is now for the first time ever demonstrated here in this station,” said Kostamo.
The device uses a laser, camera and specially trained AI models and software to pick up localised sounds generated by subtle movements of the heart, which can identify potential issues associated with heart function without need for the traditional stethoscope.
UK deployment underway
MedicubeX delivered its first UK installation last year to South Downs Health and Care, which operates the Hillbrow Health and Wellbeing hub in East Sussex.
The organisation has described the technology as an important part of its preventative healthcare strategy.
Kostamo said the company deliberately entered the UK market through smaller healthcare organisations before pursuing wider NHS adoption.
We made the conscious decision to start with the private organisations, so effectively the GP organisations, being smaller, are much faster, he said.
"The feedback has been very positive and we expect to show considerable progress shortly."
At SDHC, patients can use the station to complete health assessments independently before results are reviewed by clinicians.
The organisation said the technology supports preventative care and helps streamline patient pathways.
Supporting prevention and triage
While MedicubeX's original focus was cardiovascular disease prevention, Kostamo said the platform is increasingly being adopted for additional clinical applications.
The technology is now being used in three German university hospitals, including University Hospital Frankfurt, where members of the public can access cardiovascular screening directly from the hospital lobby.
If screening results indicate elevated risk, patients can be referred for further specialist assessment.
Kostamo also highlighted the system's role in emergency departments.
"We help doctors and nurses figure out, of the seemingly okay-looking people in the waiting room, who of them are actually urgent and who can maybe wait," he said.
The company says a single eHealth Station can perform more than 26,000 screenings annually, allowing clinicians to focus on interpreting results and managing higher-risk patients rather than collecting routine measurements.
MedicubeX was founded in 2020 and now operates in five European countries.
The company will continue discussions with NHS organisations as it seeks to expand the use of autonomous health screening technology across the UK.