Worthing-based private health check provider Bluecrest Wellness has appointed Andy Black as chair.

Black is professor of practice at King’s College London, director for health and life sciences advisory service MedInnovate, and chair of healthcare consultancy Lucid Group and drug discovery technology business Optibrium. He co-founded Kinapse, a life sciences service provider which worked with global clients on drug development and commercialisation and which was sold to HgCapital in 2016. He began his career in the NHS as a surgeon.

Bluecrest Wellness’s chief executive Dominique Kent said: “[Black has] been at the front line of medical innovation for many years, and his experience of digitising and commercialising health solutions, alongside his passion for great patient outcomes, aligns exactly with our mission and vision for the future. We know Bluecrest Wellness already changes lives and health for the better. We know it even saves lives. With Andy’s help we plan to do even more of what we do best in 2024.”

Black commented: “I’ve always been interested in finding new ways to solve patient problems and improve healthcare delivery, and it feels like this is absolutely the moment for health intelligence that empowers people and complements our wider health system.

“With an NHS struggling to meet the needs of those who are already sick, I’m excited by the opportunity for Bluecrest Wellness to step in to fill the prevention gap, improving population health by helping people understand and minimise their health risks much, much earlier. By supporting people to take proactive control of their own health, and by working with the NHS, insurers and other healthcare providers, we can maximise the number of people staying as well as possible for as long as possible.

“I’m very much looking forward to working with Dominique and the team to bring people on a journey that goes beyond a single health check, and using technology to help them understand their results, engage with their GPs, find support and solutions, and crucially to be able to monitor, evaluate and respond to their health needs over the longer term.”