Meet #OurEntrepreneurs. Today we welcome Aaron Walshaw, a Physician Associate from Wakefield
Tell us a bit about yourself
I am a practising Physician Associate with a passion for medical education and innovation. Three years ago, I was part of the entrepreneurship program, where I co-founded iDiagnose, an AI-powered chatbot designed to support medical education and training. Since then, our team has grown from two founders to include four additional paid team members. We’ve had the privilege of presenting our work in Parliament, as well as being featured on the radio and local news. My work continues to focus on bridging clinical practice with technology to improve learning and patient care.
Name: Aaron Walshaw NHS Clinical Entrepreneur Cohort 9
Occupation: Physician Associate
Tell us about your innovation
The problem we’re tackling is how clinical communication is taught and assessed. Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCE) are meant to test how healthcare students interact with patients, but they’re expensive to run, hard to scale, and students often don’t get enough time to practise properly. This matters because poor communication is a leading cause of medical errors. If we can help students build these skills earlier and more effectively, we’ll reduce mistakes and improve patient care in the long run. It’s about making training fairer, more accessible, and ultimately safer for patients across the NHS.
My innovation is called iDiagnose. It’s an AI platform that simulates OSCE scenarios for healthcare students so they can practise clinical communication, get feedback, and feel more confident going into exams. The goal is to improve patient safety by giving students better opportunities to learn and make mistakes in a safe space. It also helps universities by saving time, reducing the cost of running OSCEs, and giving consistent feedback across the board.
I want iDiagnose to be something that genuinely helps students feel more prepared and supports lecturers and universities by easing the pressure of delivering large-scale assessments.
How do you hope that the programme will support you?
I discovered the programme by searching for NHS support for innovation. I was excited to apply because it offers insights from experts in healthcare and entrepreneurship. Being part of this programme helps combat the isolation of building something in this space.
I’m looking forward to connecting with others, learning from their experiences, and getting advice on integrating iDiagnose into NHS training sustainably. I aim to meet people who can guide us in aligning iDiagnose with NHS values and standards.
One of my goals is to ensure universities benefit financially from using this software, such as through tariff reimbursement. To achieve this, I need to understand the systems and speak with decision-makers. I hope the programme connects me with these individuals and supports us in making iDiagnose beneficial for students, lecturers, and the wider NHS education system.
Over the next year, I plan to complete the code switch for iDiagnose, finalise a pilot with a partner university, and expand OSCE stations for more healthcare courses. I also want to strengthen our links with NHS education and governance bodies to work towards getting iDiagnose recognised for tariff reimbursement and structured healthcare education delivery.
The ultimate goal is to make iDiagnose a product that universities can confidently adopt to improve student learning and patient safety.
Why do you think innovation in healthcare is important?
Healthcare is constantly evolving, and our training and support systems must adapt accordingly. Innovation addresses issues that traditional methods can’t, such as staff shortages, rising costs, and training gaps. It’s not just about the latest technology; it’s about improving outcomes, making systems fairer and more efficient, and ensuring we support both staff and patients. Effective healthcare innovation should make life easier and safer for everyone.