Ellie Bates
We help healthcare organisations deliver engaging digital training that strenghtens workforce skills and improves patient care.
Project
EL Healthcare Education
URL
Year founded
2022
Business stage
Pre-Seed
High-growth sectors
Digital and Technologies
Sector
Health
Location
South East
Funding
Highly Commended Applicant
The problem and opportunity
Pharmacy First is a major NHS investment, but its success depends on upskilling the whole community pharmacy team—not just pharmacists. Current training is passive and fails to build consultation skills, limiting Pharmacy First delivery, reducing pharmacy revenue and preventing the NHS from realising the programme’s full potential.
The solution and innovation
PharmaPlay replaces passive e-learning with interactive, game-based learning that builds real-world consultation and clinical decision-making skills. By combining AI-powered simulation, adaptive feedback and learning analytics, it develops and measures competence, not just knowledge. Successful user testing has demonstrated high engagement, strong learner confidence and demand from pharmacy education partners.
Market and ambition
Our initial market is UK community pharmacy. PharmaPlay has completed successful user testing and is being developed with two leading pharmacy training providers, giving access to organisations that represent most community pharmacies. We aim to expand across healthcare professions and international markets.
Founder perspective
As co-founder of EL Healthcare Education, I have designed award-winning digital learning for healthcare professionals across the UK. PharmaPlay builds on this experience, combining learning science and technology to help the pharmacy workforce meet the NHS’s changing needs.
Women in Innovation Award
Highly commended applicant of the Innovate UK Women in Innovation Award 2025/26, receiving tailored business support, and access to specialist training and networks. View all winners and highly commended applicants from the Women in Innovation cohort 2025/2026.