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In this episode of Up, Up & Away, Dom Burch talks to his brother, Dr Greg Burch, Joint CEO and Clinical Director of Tiny Medical Apps, about the development of DHP Pro.

Launching in January 2027, DHP Pro builds on almost a decade of work developing the Digital Health Passport. What began as a way to help young people manage asthma has grown into a multi-condition platform supporting physical health, mental wellbeing and the transition towards managing health independently.

Greg explains why young people need more than symptom trackers and care plans. Their health is connected to sleep, emotional wellbeing, family circumstances, exercise and everyday life. DHP Pro brings these elements together in one place, alongside trusted information, medication reminders and connections to NHS services.

They also discuss the new About Me feature. Designed particularly with young people with learning disabilities, autism, complex needs or a history of trauma in mind, it allows someone to record how they communicate, what may make them anxious, the adjustments they need and the practical things healthcare professionals should understand about them. It gives clinicians a useful summary without requiring the young person or their family to repeat the same information at every encounter.

Transition is another major focus. Greg explains why the move from paediatric to adult care remains one of the riskiest points in the system, and how young people can gradually learn to understand their condition, manage medication, make appointments and take greater responsibility for their care.

The conversation also explores how the work with YoungMinds has shaped DHP Pro’s approach to mental wellbeing, why health tracking must always have a clear purpose, and how trusted resources from the NHS and specialist charities can be surfaced at the moment they are most useful.

Greg describes the thinking behind creating one configurable platform for many conditions. This could give young people with rare diseases access to the same quality of digital support as those with more common conditions, without requiring a separate app to be built for every diagnosis. It could also allow a parent to manage different conditions across several family members from one place.

Finally, Dom and Greg discuss the difference between making an app free and ensuring it reaches the people who need it. The existing Digital Health Passport will remain free for asthma, epilepsy and mental wellbeing. DHP Pro will offer commissioned areas additional features, NHS integrations and support to embed the platform within local services.

In this episode

• Why the Digital Health Passport is evolving into DHP Pro
• Supporting the whole person, rather than a single condition
• Replacing lengthy paper health passports with an accessible About Me summary
• Helping young people prepare gradually for adult healthcare
• What Tiny Medical Apps has learned from its work with YoungMinds
• The benefits and potential risks of tracking health and wellbeing
• Bringing NHS and charity resources together in one place
• Providing better digital support for rare conditions
• Family profiles and shared contributions to health records
• Why active implementation matters as much as making an app available
• How community trusts, acute services and neighbourhood teams could use DHP Pro

DHP Pro launches in January 2027. Commissioners and clinical teams interested in seeing the platform can request a demonstration and explore the package most relevant to their local population.

Find out more at tinymedicalapps.com.

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In this episode of Up, Up and Away, Dom Burch and Saira Arif sit down with Emma Weston, founder of Digital Unite, to explore one of the most important—and often overlooked—questions in digital health and public services:

Who are we leaving behind?

As Digital Unite marks its 30-year anniversary, Emma reflects on why digital exclusion remains such a persistent challenge. The conversation explores how decades of well-intentioned effort have failed to shift the dial—largely because we’ve been trying to solve a systemic problem with short-term, project-based thinking.

Emma makes a compelling case for reframing digital inclusion—not as a side initiative, but as a core organisational responsibility. In a world where digital is now the front door to healthcare, services and opportunity, inclusion must be treated as a long-term investment in people, access and outcomes.

The episode also examines the growing impact of AI. While full of promise, it risks widening existing inequalities if we haven’t yet addressed the fundamentals—digital confidence, literacy and access. From people without email addresses to care leavers navigating a digital-first world, this conversation brings big ideas back to real human experiences.

Crucially, it’s not all doom and gloom. Emma shares what is working—from Digital Champions to community-led support—and leaves listeners with a practical challenge:

Where are we still treating digital inclusion as a bolt-on—and what would it look like to make it part of how we operate every day?

🔑 Key Themes

• Digital exclusion isn’t going away
  Despite 30 years of effort, the problem persists—and in many cases is getting worse.
• We’re solving the wrong problem the wrong way
  Short-term projects can’t fix a long-term, structural issue.
• Digital literacy is now a basic life skill
  As essential as reading, writing and arithmetic in modern society.
• AI could widen the gap
  We’re accelerating into the future without fixing the foundations.
• Access doesn’t equal inclusion
  Devices and connectivity aren’t enough—confidence, skills and usability matter.
• The power of Digital Champions
  Peer-to-peer support and community networks are key to scaling impact.
• From funding to investment
  Digital inclusion should be embedded into how organisations operate—not treated as a nice-to-have.
• Start with conversation, not perfection
  Small, practical steps—especially across teams—can begin to drive real change.

Find out more Emma Weston and Digital Unite.

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In this episode, host Dom Burch speaks with Dr Lewis Thomas, a former NHS GP and accredited life coach who lives with sickle cell anaemia. Lewis shares how lived experience, medical training, and coaching came together — and why social media may now be one of the most powerful tools for reaching patients the healthcare system struggles to reach.

🔥 Key Topics Covered

🩸 1) Living with sickle cell — and the fear that comes with misunderstanding

Lewis describes his first major sickle cell crisis at age 12 as “the worst pain imaginable” — but also explains how confusion and lack of understanding from others created fear and uncertainty.

🏥 2) Becoming a doctor — and ending up admitted to the hospitals he worked in

Lewis explains how junior doctor stress made his symptoms worse, leading to hospital admissions inside the very system he was training in.

🧱 3) The NHS reality: broken systems, limited time, limited resources

He shares how the system’s lack of capacity makes it difficult for clinicians to truly help — especially when conditions like sickle cell don’t fit “tick-box” patterns.

🌊 4) Post-Covid general practice: “a tsunami” of angry, exhausted patients

Lewis describes how the emotional weight of post-Covid demand wore him down over time, as patients returned with unmet needs, delayed care, and mounting frustration.

🧠 5) The turning point: discovering Flow on holiday in Greece

While on holiday, Lewis read Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi — and realised there were people who loved their work and lived in a state of purpose… and that he didn’t feel that as a GP.

💬 6) Life coaching: “holding space” and helping people change their lives

Lewis shares how coaching gave him a new model of care — one based on listening, clarity, and helping people find their own answers, not just prescribing.

📱 7) Why TikTok reached people a GP surgery never could

Lewis explains how social media enabled him to reach people with sickle cell who might never seek help through traditional routes — delivering bite-sized, trusted education directly to their phones.

🌍 8) The Sickleverse: building community, confidence, and agency

The Sickleverse brings people together globally, giving access to education, peer support, and a space that reduces the isolation many people feel living with sickle cell.

🤝 9) Trust, racism, and why partnership matters

Lewis speaks openly about mistrust in medical systems — particularly in Black communities disproportionately affected by sickle cell — and why working with credible voices and influencers can help overcome barriers.

🩺 10) Authenticity over authority

One of the most memorable insights: Lewis doesn’t need to wear a suit or a stethoscope to help people — he can show up as himself, and that’s exactly why people listen.

🔗 Links & Resources

• Join The Sickleverse: www.sickleverse.com
• Book mentioned: Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience — Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi