PreActiv: Bringing scalable prehabilitation to the NHS
Find out how PreActiv is bringing tailored support to patients to improve recovery and make prehabilitation accessible across the NHS.
What is PreActiv and what problem does it solve?
PreActiv is a digital prehabilitation and rehabilitation platform that uses smart technology to create personalised exercise and health optimisation programmes for patients undergoing major surgery or cancer treatment. By combining validated exercise testing with patient health data, the platform dynamically adapts programmes in real time based on symptoms, feedback, and performance.
Prehabilitation is proven to significantly improve patient outcomes, reducing complications by up to 50% and shortening hospital stays. Yet in practice very few patients currently receive this support. Many are given generic advice such as “eat well and exercise more,” or handed paper leaflets that rarely translate into meaningful change.
PreActiv aims to close this gap by delivering personalised, scalable support that helps patients prepare for treatment and recover afterwards, while also reducing pressure on NHS services.
“Prehabilitation has huge clinical benefits, but most patients aren’t receiving it. We wanted to create something personalised, scalable, and affordable that could reach every patient, not just the small proportion currently supported.”
“Prehabilitation has huge clinical benefits, but most patients aren’t receiving it. We wanted to create something personalised, scalable, and affordable that could reach every patient, not just the small proportion currently supported.”
What was your inspiration and motivation?
The idea for PreActiv came from frontline clinical experience. Co-Founders Rebecca, a haematologist, and Alec, a consultant anaesthetist and intensive care physician, repeatedly saw patients arriving for major surgery or cancer treatment physically unprepared for the demands of treatment.
Clinicians often make treatment decisions based on limited information about a patient’s functional status, relying on observation rather than quantitative data. At the same time, patients with multiple health conditions frequently experience complications that could potentially be prevented with better preparation.
The motivation is both professional and personal. Both founders saw the impact of treatment complications within their own families when their fathers were diagnosed with cancer – experiences that reinforced their determination to improve how patients are supported before and after treatment.
“We were seeing patients go into major treatments underprepared, and you could often predict who would struggle. We wanted to change that by giving patients personalised support and clinicians better data to guide decisions.”
Dr Rebecca Allam, CEO & Co-Founder, PreActiv
Why did you become a fellow?
For PreActiv, joining the NHS Innovation Accelerator (NIA) represents an important step in scaling the innovation across the NHS. Having already participated in earlier accelerators, the NIA provides a unique opportunity to access deeper NHS-specific expertise and a powerful peer network.
One of the most valuable aspects of the programme is the community of innovators – a cohort of founders and clinicians navigating similar challenges in bringing innovation into the health system.
The programme also provides practical insights into navigating NHS procurement, interoperability challenges and scaling pathways that are difficult to access elsewhere.
“There is such a wealth of knowledge in the NIA community, learning from companies who are just a few steps ahead of us is incredibly valuable.”
Looking ahead
Looking ahead, the ambition is for PreActiv to become the leading provider of digital prehabilitation for elective surgery and cancer care.
This means ensuring more patients across the NHS can access personalised programmes that help them prepare for treatment and recover faster afterwards. Beyond the UK, the team is also exploring international opportunities as global interest in digital prehabilitation grows.
The longer-term vision is to expand the platform into other areas of healthcare, including personalised exercise programmes for people living with chronic conditions.
“In five years, we want to be the leading provider of digital prehabilitation for surgery and cancer treatment, helping far more patients prepare for treatment and recover well.”
Want to find out more? Visit the innovation page where you can contact the innovator directly, or check out their website.
