London focus pays off for Australian eye-care software

ToukanLabs shows how export growth can power great Australian software.

Since 2020, the company has expanded into digital health, with the UK becoming a launchpad for a new ophthalmology patient-records system. ToukanLabs has developed and implemented the OpenEyes electronic medical record (EMR) used by the world-renowned Moorfields Eye Hospital in London.

The company worked in close partnership with the Apperta Foundation, clinicians from Moorfields, other leading NHS trusts and the digital-first home-care provider, Cera. According to Clayton Blake, Founding Director of ToukanLabs, this collaboration has collectively shaped OpenEyes into a truly world-class platform.

‘This is widely regarded as one of the NHS’s most successful patient-record implementations,’ he says. ‘Clinicians want us to roll it out at hospitals across the UK, because it helps them reduce their waiting lists and improve patient management.’

Change of focus to eyecare

ToukanLabs started life in Sydney in 2010. The company originally developed export control software for the defence and energy industries. By 2020, the company had around 50 employees and was looking to expand.

‘Just before COVID, we went around the world looking at opportunities in healthcare,’ says Blake. ‘The greatest need seemed to be eyecare. And one major global centre for eyecare was London.’

Moorfields Eye Hospital: in at the top

In 2021, ToukanLabs set its sights on the most prestigious eye hospital in the UK.

‘Moorfields Eye Hospital in London is the largest eyecare hospital in the western world,’ says Blake. ‘It is also one of the most prestigious. Ophthalmologists from around the world go to Moorfields for training. They do 30,000 cataract operations per year.’ 

ToukanLabs developed Moorfields’ patient records and referrals system – OpenEyes – by working directly with Moorfields clinicians.

‘Eye doctors in London helped guide our software developers in Sydney and Canberra,’ says Blake. ‘Developing it was a labour of love. As a result, no other eye patient-management software has the equivalent richness.’

ToukanLabs is rolling out its OpenEyes software in the UK, including NHS Wales, hospitals in Scotland and at London’s prestigious Moorfields Hospital.

Rapid rollout for a patient records system

Implementation was another differentiator. Within 2 years, ToukanLabs had signed up Moorfields, developed the software, and completed the first implementation.

‘This was a significantly faster implementation than the NHS is used to,’ says Alan Fish, Program Director, Toukan Labs, who is based in the UK. ‘However, it also shows that the NHS is open to small software developers.’

ToukanLabs has now implemented its software in NHS Wales, and at 12 hospitals in and around Glasgow in Scotland. It is also being used by the UK’s 2 largest optician chains: Specsavers–Newmedica and Optegra.

Opportunities for Australian medtech in the UK

According to Alon Gold, Business Development Manager for Austrade Europe, there are major opportunities for niche Australian tech in UK healthcare.

‘The NHS is the world's largest, single-payer, publicly funded, universal healthcare system,’ he says. ‘It includes 1,000 hospitals and 7,500 primary care clinics.

‘As a result, the NHS is the largest procurer of medical technology in the UK. It spends more than £10 billion (A$20 billion) per year on healthtech procurement.’

Gold points out the NHS is under continuous pressure to enhance efficiency and access. The NHS’s new, 10-year plan, Fit for the Future, suggests a radical shift from hospital to community care, and adoption of digital processes.

The UK as a launchpad to Europe

The UK is proving a strategic entry point for Europe, according to Gold.

‘Companies that succeed in demonstrating value within the NHS — through efficiency gains, cost-effectiveness, and improved patient outcomes — are well positioned to expand into the wider European healthcare ecosystem,’ he says.

‘Europe represents one of the world’s largest healthcare markets, with a combined healthcare spending of over €1.6 trillion annually.’

‘There is a healthy respect for the UK and Australian healthcare systems across Europe. adds Blake. ‘A quick, successful implementation in the UK gets noticed.’

Austrade aids expansion in multiple ways

Austrade teams across Europe work in close collaboration to assure wider coverage for ToukanLabs in the region.

‘Austrade has been fantastic at opening doors and giving marketing advice on areas we should target,’ says Blake. ‘They have also helped with market research.

‘We now have a Swiss supplier – Perivision – which is helping us integrate AI recordings into patient files,’ he says. ‘We owe that connection to Austrade.

‘As of right now, thousands of clinicians are using our system to manage millions of patients. This shows what a global strategy can do for a small, Australian medtech.’