The Nourish Story
After volunteering in a care home, Nuno Almeida was inspired to develop a platform that transforms the way care services record and deliver care.
Nuno’s early life
Nuno grew up in Coimbra, Portugal, his childhood home neighbouring a local mental health hospital and a farm where those living with a disability could find employment. Nuno started out life living in a welcoming community that embraced people from all walks of life. While this brush with social care was impactful, it wouldn’t be until later that its significance would reveal itself.
Science start
Similar to today, the artificial intelligence was the talk of the moment and Nuno found himself studying at computer science and artificial intelligence, robotics, automation at the University of Coimbra. From here, he was part of a startup that’s very first customer was NASA.
Eventually Nuno realised this didn’t inspire passion and he left the business he’d spent so long building in search of something new, something that set him alight.
Introduction to healthcare
After selling his share and with plenty of time on his hands, Nuno turned his attention to health and social care. The sector was clearly one where impact is a large part of what you do and there is correlation between your own values and the values of business. Using his personal connections, Nuno began volunteering in a care home and very quickly realised that this environment was his calling. Undoubtedly, his upbringing allowed him to feel at home and see the potential for technological advancement.
The formation of Nourish
The idea of Nourish came from observing care, back before person-centred care was the focus, and how the person receiving care seemed to be overlooked when it came to the care they received. With wearable technology all the rage at the same time, Nuno began to wonder if there was some way to have notifications coming out of this software that tell their care workers or their family members that are looking after them that this is what you should be doing next to improve their wellbeing. This also coincided with the realisation that care workers were writing an incredible amount of notes in regards to the care they were providing and managers were constantly sifting through the paperwork of notes in order to remain on top of it all in case CQC came for an inspection.
The idea shifted from wearable technology to simply technology that can record all the interactions taken place with the person receiving care to enable the data to be analysed and create an indication on what the next steps could be. Technology that could change the way people being supported are cared for, enabling care teams to have more time for person-centred care and enhancing evidencing for great care being delivered for families and commissioners. But most importantly, technology that the people being supported could get involved in and be in control of their care.
The meaning of the flourish
As Nourish began to take shape and become a useful product, it needed a logo.
There is deliberate linkage between the Nourish Care logo and our mission. It’s a representation of a circle of care where you have 5 petals representing groups of people who matter…
✅ people from social care
✅ people from healthcare
✅ my community, my neighbours
✅ my family
✅ my friends
The very concept explores how a person living with frailty, where they aren’t able to live completely independently, needs a village to make sure they have a completely balanced life and live the best life they can.
This is how Nourish began.
