Digital team to develop their own app to support patient wellbeing
Date added: 11 March 2026
Last updated: 11 March 2026
Our Digital team and clinical colleagues recently won the Health Innovation Kent Surrey Sussex Hackathon, where frontline NHS teams had the chance to design real-world digital health solutions.
Our team, led by Nina Phoenix, Chief Nursing and AHP Information Officer & Lead Digital Champion at Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS Trust, designed an app called Daily Spark that aims to maintain activity and engagement for patients on our inpatient wards.
In winning the competition, the team of has won 12 months of development support with Cogniss, a no-code platform for digital health, to transform their prototype into a tangible, real-world solution.
Nina said: "I’m absolutely thrilled that our incredible team of Digital Champions won the chance to build our very own app. We explored so many creative ideas for what our app could be, but we ultimately chose something with real impact, a tool that helps keep activity and engagement going on our inpatient wards, even when occupational therapists or therapists aren’t available.
“It can easily be adapted for community groups and cognitive stimulation groups too. It also has the potential to be used in team away days and meetings for ice breakers.”
Alongside Nina, the team includes Clinical Digital Champions Administrator Allegria Luyindula, Consultant Psychiatrist Dr Sheeba Hakeem, Staff Nurses Patricia Mensah and Juley Shaji, and Occupational Therapy Assistant Lucie Reading.
Dr Mayur Vibhuti, Chief Clinical Information Officer NHS Kent & Medway ICB said: “It was fantastic to see so much creativity and problem solving from frontline colleagues at this year’s Kent & Medway Hackathon. Events like this demonstrate what’s possible when we give staff the opportunity to build solutions to the challenges they face every day.
“Huge congratulations to the winning team from Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS Trust, and my thanks to Health Innovation KSS, Cogniss, Aire Innovate and our judging panel for making the event possible.”
