In our latest #OurEntrepreneurs profile we meet cohort 8 Clinical Entrepreneur Marie Barret, Team Lead Cystic Fibrosis Dietitian.  

Tell us a bit about yourself 

Born in France, I later moved to Bath in Somerset as a young adult to pursue a PhD in chemistry with a focus on toothpaste formulation. However, my passion for food and people led me down a different path, and I embarked on a career in dietetics. My first job as a new graduate was in Exeter, where I’ve remained ever since.

Currently, I work as the lead dietitian for the cystic fibrosis team, providing care to both paediatric and adult patients in inpatient and community settings. Working closely within a multidisciplinary team, I recently completed an NHS England fellowship focused on reducing pre-registration attrition and improving retention (RePAIR) in the Southwest region. During this 18-month fellowship, I collaborated with the workforce, training, and education team to gain valuable insights into the factors affecting healthcare student attrition and the successful retention of newly qualified professionals. .

Tell us about your innovation and the challenge you aim to address within the NHS? 

I am involved in Maths Kitchen FE, a web-based adaptive learning platform designed for Further Education (FE) colleges and Apprenticeship Training Providers. Our platform provides crucial support to learners who are working toward Functional Skills Maths qualifications, particularly those who struggle with confidence in the subject. 

Nationwide and across all sectors the completion rate for apprenticeships is 52% with the main reason for non-completion being the learner not achieving their Functional Skills Maths. 

A high priority area for the NHS at the moment is its Long-Term Workforce Plan. One of its aims is to provide 16% of clinical training places as apprenticeships by 2028/29. The current rate is just 7%. If the NHS is to meet the aims of its Long Term Work Force Plan it needs to ensure that it is supporting its apprentices. One of the ways it must do this is by helping them gain their Functional Skills qualification. 

A recent study of 3000 UK adults carried out by KPMG and the charity National Numeracy found 35% of adults surveyed said that doing Maths made them anxious and 29% said they actively try to avoid anything to do with numbers and data. 

Maths Kitchen FE has been developed with these learners in mind and has been designed to not only provide all the practical support to help people progress towards their Functional Skills target but also to help build their confidence. 

The platform offers several key features that I believe will greatly benefit NHS workers seeking to enhance their skills. The initial assessment is adaptive, meaning the questions continually adjust to match the learners’ ability. This leads to the participant initially getting most questions correct – typically 7 out of 10. This means that the journey starts with a confidence boost and a celebration of what they can do as opposed to a long list of things they can’t. The adaptive nature of the platform also ensures efficient coverage of essential content, so that learners don’t waste time answering questions that are either too easy or too difficult. The process is also quick, taking around 5 to 10 minutes to complete. 

Currently, we are enhancing the platform using AI technology. Our goal is to generate relevant questions based on a learner’s specific work context. For example, NHS workers could be given questions that relate to a healthcare setting, or even more specifically a nurse might be given questions that relate to their role and specialties. The idea behind all of this is to help make Maths more relevant to the learners and further boost their confidence. 

My aspiration is to assist more NHS staff in gaining functional math skills, ultimately contributing to increased course completion rates among apprentices. In the grand scheme, I aim for the initiative to support staff retention within the healthcare sector.

 

Why did you apply to join the programme, and what are you most looking forward to?

I had read about the programme and spoke to a couple of people who were previously a part of it, and this led me to apply.  

I am looking forward to getting support from fellow entrepreneurs, as well as the invaluable networking opportunities and mentoring provided by industry and NHS professionals. 

What are your ambitions for the next year?

My ambition for the next year is for Maths Kitchen FE to be used by NHS organisations to help staff achieve their math functional skills. I also hope to secure pilots in organisations with our AI generated healthcare questions, to explore how it works in practice and gain feedback.   

Why do you think innovation is important in healthcare?

Innovation is important to tackle the problems of a growing population which is getting older, a decreasing workforce which is also getting older and to approach the delivery of healthcare in new ways. This includes better processes, better diagnosis, better treatment and will make working in healthcare more appealing. 

How can we find out more?

Please visit the https://www.mathskitchenfe.co.uk for more information.  .