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Innovative medical device company selected as Regional Talent by the Royal Academy of Engineering thanks to Innovation SuperNetwork
The Carents Room, an online resource platform for adults caring for their ageing family members, has secured partnerships with three major energy distributors, Northern Gas Networks (NGN), Cadent, and UK Power Networks (UKPN) after receiving support from the Challenge North East programme.
“I can genuinely say that joining the Challenge North East programme transformed my life and my business for the better. It was hard work, but it was well worth it.”
Dr Jackie Gray, Founder of The Carents Room
Looking for Support
Dr Jackie Gray founded The Carents Room in 2020 in response to her own experience of treating carers whilst caring for her father. During this time, she began to understand the isolation carers experience and the gap in information, products and services available to support Carents and their ageing parents. Informed by detailed research, Dr Gray created a platform that busy Carents, mid life adults providing care for elderly relatives in the community, could use to easily access tips, expert advice and help to improve the wellbeing of people caring for their relatives, which in turn would reduce pressures on frontline services.
Support from Challenge North East (delivered in partnership by North East LEP & Innovation SuperNetwork)
With a background as a GP, Dr Gray did not have business know-how and knew that she would need guidance when it came to turning her social enterprise into a sustainable and lasting product that could reach the people she wanted to help.
Dr Gray joined Challenge North East, an open innovation programme launched in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which gave The Carents Room access to grant funding and vital business support that enabled them to grow. The Challenge team helped Dr Gray on her innovation journey and helped her to gain new connections and relationships with other organisations.
After the challenge programme, The Carents Room continued their relationship with the Innovation SuperNetwork, and were selected as finalists for the Innovation Showcase at VentureFest North East 2022. This allowed them to gain more recognition both in the region and nationally for their innovative care support platform.
“The challenge team opened doors that I could not have unlocked, or even considered myself. As a consequence, I’ve now been able to secure support from major companies that serve millions of people across Britain”
Dr Jackie Gray, Founder of The Carents Room
Impact
Involvement with the Innovation SuperNetwork and the Challenge North East programme led Dr Gray to a partnership with three major energy distribution networks who are helping The Carents Room support families through challenging times. This collaboration will see the expertise of The Carents Room in collaboration with NGN, Cadent and UKPN to provide instant access to support, energy advice and health information to millions of Carents throughout the UK.
Dr Gray hopes to help combat the cost-of-living crisis with the help of this new partnership to offer a range of products and services, including energy-saving tips, safety measures and advice to Carents and their elderly relatives.
