Introducing Louise Murray: Managing Director of Kensa Health Virtual Care and Analytics
Tell us about your background and how you came to work in healthcare, particularly in relation to virtual care or digital health services.
I always wanted to be a nurse from a very young age. I was lucky enough to secure training at King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and qualified in 1983. I spent the next 7 years working in renal dialysis and transplantation in London and Manchester before moving into industry in 1990. Over the next 30years, I worked for several high-tech home care providers, supporting clinical services for patients at home, including pharmacy, aseptic preparation, and delivery.
In 2020, at the start of the COVID pandemic, I decided to become more involved in digital technology and remote patient monitoring. Working for a UK company, I led the sales and implementation of digital technology solutions in partnership with the NHS until late 2025. I joined Kensa Health in December 2025.
I am passionate about patient empowerment, patient choice and offering solutions that really make a difference. Care at home is always preferred to hospital based care, where possible, and I truly believe Kensa Virtual Care is a company that can bridge the gap between Health and Social Care provision.
What kinds of challenges have you worked on in virtual care, remote monitoring, or digitally enabled pathways?
It would be too simple if there were no challenges. Building confidence and trust are key to success, but that’s a two-way process. If clinicians and managers aren’t engaged or resist change, then it becomes a much tougher process.
It is essential to allow enough time to train local NHS teams; therefore, requesting a time commitment is necessary. Face-to-face training, followed up by online training modules, works well, but more importantly, it’s about building excellent, trusted working relationships on both sides.
I can honestly say the NHS teams I have worked with since 2020 have been exceptional and a pleasure to support.
How does delivering care virtually differ from traditional face-to-facecare in terms of workflow, coordination, and patient experience?
Virtua care makes a huge difference for patients: they recover well at home, eat and sleep better, and have the support of family. Inpatient care, whilst it may be necessary for some, can also be a lonely experience and may lead to a delay in getting back home, for several reasons.
The 10-yearplan is spot on; preventative care is essential to reduce frailty patient admissions and allow people to be safe and cared for at home.
Can you share an example where virtual care made a real difference to patient outcomes, service efficiency, or clinical decision-making?
I have multiple examples, but if I think back to previous work in partnership with the NHS, it must be the use of virtual care and remote patient monitoring as a real alternative to hospital-based care during COVID. Patients who were diagnosed with COVID or COVID positive, but not critically unwell, were allowed to stay at home and monitored closely for signs of deterioration.
In Croydon, the clinical teams administered intravenous medication to those patients who were scared to go into the hospital for fear of not getting back home. As you would expect, it was a particularly difficult time. In partnership with clinical teams and operational leads, we identified NHS staff who were shielding at home yet able to support virtual platform monitoring.
What excites you most about the future of virtual care in the NHS over the next few years?
Virtual care is an essential component of NHS pathways to:
- Prevent unnecessary hospital admissions
- Support the ageing population through proactive and preventative care models
- Ensure people are safe, supported and cared for at home. It is a known fact that people recover better at home, sleep better, eat a more balanced diet and are supported by family. A previous study demonstrated that older patients embraced technology, adhered to pathway monitoring tasks as an alternative to inpatient care
What excites me the most is being at the forefront of Health & Social Care provision through our divisions at Kensa Health. Technology-Enabled Care, Virtual Care, and Neighbourhood Care, supported by Domiciliary Care, is a great story. As a nurse way back in the 1980’s my passion was to do my best, build trust and offer meaningful, safe solutions for patients. I have carried that mantra throughout my whole career!
From your perspective, what do clinical and operational leaders most need in order to successfully scale virtual care services?
They need the right virtual care partner; a partner invested in their priorities who collaborates to provide the right technology solution, clinician training, patient care and ongoing support. They also need a ‘partner’ where relationship management is a given, developed through trust, honesty and openness.
They need to work with individuals who have a clinical understanding, share their beliefs, and understand their challenges, concerns, and priorities. But moreimportantly, someone who listens and offers advice and support when needed.
What do you think is the most valuable benefit virtual care can bring to patients and staff when it works well?
To patients, it will always be about safe, effective care at home. Avoiding an admission or being discharged sooner is the goal for many. Choice is essential, particularly as you get older, to prevent long hospital stays.
For clinical staff and the NHS, the most valuable benefit is to offer the right care in the most appropriate location for a patient. But it’s also about the positive impact on waiting lists and the overall reduction of cost.
More effective management of patient flow, reducing waiting times, particularly in the ED, can all be achieved if the right virtual care model is in place across primary and secondary car, in partnership with multidisciplinary teams.
Transform care beyond the hospital walls
Whether you're developing virtual wards, expanding remote monitoring services, or delivering proactive community care, our Virtual Care team is here to support you every step of the way.
To continue the conversation, connect with Louise Murray on LinkedIn.
Alternatively, get in touch with our Virtual Care team by completing our contact form or call us on 0330 3802236. We'd be delighted to discuss how Kensa Health can help you deliver safe, effective care closer to home.
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