Denis Roche, Founder of eAltra, is in conversation with VistaTalks Host Simon Hodgkins. In this episode, Denis shares the evolving intersection of healthcare, artificial intelligence, and patient experience.

Denis, an entrepreneur and innovator, brings a rich and varied background spanning clinical practice, academic research, and creative technology. He is rethinking how healthcare is delivered and pushing the boundaries of what it means to put patients at the center of care.

From Harley Street to Healthcare Innovation

The journey to founding eAltra began at The London Clinic on Harley Street, one of the UK’s leading private hospitals. Denis, collaborating with head and neck cancer specialists, saw firsthand the communication gaps that can arise between patients and healthcare providers, especially at critical moments like a cancer diagnosis.

Despite best efforts from dedicated clinical teams, the traditional delivery of patient information leaflets, sporadic phone calls, and emails was falling short. This led Denis to ask: Can we use digital tools to improve how we engage, educate, and support patients?

That simple question grew into a mission.

Denis Roche on eAltra

At its core, eAltra is a digital health platform designed to enhance communication between patients and clinical teams, strongly emphasizing conversational AI. But this isn’t just about chatbots or automation for efficiency’s sake.

Denis and his team are replicating the compassionate, nuanced conversations that clinical nurse specialists have with their patients. Doing so empowers patients to share symptoms, ask questions, and receive timely, personalized information, especially during critical periods between treatment cycles, such as chemotherapy.

Their focus right now? Supporting toxicity assessments and other key interactions in oncology services, where timing and clarity can impact not just the quality of care but also outcomes.

AI with Empathy 

It’s impossible to talk about healthcare today without addressing AI, both in excitement and ethical concerns. Denis is clear-eyed on this point.

He cautions against the hype and the temptation to replace AI with human care. Instead, eAltra leverages AI to create more time and space for human connection. This means:

• Giving clinicians the patient information they need before appointments.
• Helping patients articulate their concerns clearly and without fear.
• Avoiding misinformation by providing reliable, curated, and accessible content.

Importantly, Denis brings technical insight and philosophical depth, having studied machine ethics and worked on patient experience in isolation wards.

Creative Innovation in Action According to Denis Roche

Denis describes his approach as „creative innovation,“ a practice rooted in collaboration, imagination, and patient voice. He says it’s easy to get bogged down by systems and legacy processes in healthcare. His work aims to shake that up.

At eAltra, this has meant building prototypes hand-in-hand with patients and nurses, testing them in real clinical settings (including St. James’s and Tallaght Hospitals in Dublin), and refining them based on real-world feedback.

The result? Small but high-impact interventions that streamline care delivery and reduce administrative burden while also improving patient experience.

Recognition and Momentum

eAltra’s progress hasn’t gone unnoticed. The company was named Best Emerging AI at the Spark Crowdfunding Top 100. They have also secured HPSU investment from Enterprise Ireland.

This growing support underscores the value of Denis’s vision: technology that augments and does not replace healthcare’s humanity.

Global Opportunities and Local Challenges

The challenges Denis outlined are not unique to any one country. Across the globe, healthcare systems are:

• Under pressure from increasing patient volumes.
• Struggling with staff shortages.
• Saddled with siloed, outdated IT systems.

And yet, the opportunities are just as universal. As Denis puts it, „Even small interventions can make a massive difference.“ Especially regarding patient-reported outcomes, early intervention, and managing long-term survivorship.

Denis Roche on The Localization Roadmap 

Localization is also on the roadmap. eAltra is actively exploring multilingual content and culturally relevant care pathways. They’ve already begun discussions on Arabic-language support, recognizing that language is critical for healthcare access.

Advice for Healthcare Innovators

For those aspiring to make a difference in patient care, Denis offers grounded, generous advice:

• Talk to users first, whether they are patients, clinicians, or buyers.
• Prototype slowly, build quickly, and stay humble.
• Above all, ensure that you design for the way healthcare should be, not just the way it is.

He adds, „If you focus on the patient experience, everything else falls into place. That’s your North Star.“