Burendo is playing a pivotal role in the successful delivery of complex and high-profile national programmes, founder and CEO Glenn Crossley tells Sarah Cartledge, Healthcare World Editor
The British healthcare sector faces many challenges including tightening budgets, outdated digital infrastructure, increased accessibility requirements and higher cyber security risks. All these issues are putting already resource-stretched teams under additional pressure.
As an organisation, Burendo has extensive experience of working with healthcare organisations to simplify solutions, optimise services, streamline data, improve patient care and get products and services delivered, all within highly regulated, dynamic environments in both the public and private sectors. The company has been involved in several recent programmes contributing to national healthcare initiatives that are fundamental to improving service delivery, patient care, and operational efficiency.
Founder Glenn Crossley is unusual in that he doesn’t come from a traditional tech background. He began in the Royal Marines, where he honed discipline, leadership, and a tactical mindset which served him well when he moved into the public sector at the Department of Health where he played a pivotal role in creating the Shipman Witness Database.
As a result, he found himself in team management roles just a month after starting his first job. Over the years, Glenn’s career evolved across multiple sectors, including financial services, healthcare, and tech delivery, building a diverse and robust portfolio of expertise in software delivery, data integration, and public sector digital transformation.
In 2018, Glenn earned significant recognition as a top influencer in the tech world through his work with Gartner. He went on to found Burendo out of his desire to create something impactful within the tech and healthcare sectors.
Growing Burendo
The Blended Agile Delivery (BAD) toolkit served as the foundation for Burendo’s growth. The open-source toolkit was developed to compile the best practices in agile software delivery, and Glenn’s vision was clear—to provide organisations with the tools they needed to accelerate their digital transformation efforts. As a result, Burendo quickly grew from a small consulting firm into a tech powerhouse, expanding to 150 employees and becoming the UK’s fastest-growing tech company, building strong relationships with major organisations such as ASDA, Equifax, NHS, and William Hill as Burendo solidified its reputation as a leader in delivering high-performance technology solutions for the public and private sectors.
Transforming government programmes
• COVID-19 Response: Burendo played a crucial role in the rapid deployment of the NHS COVID-19 vaccination booking system, enabling millions of people to access vital vaccinations efficiently. In addition to the vaccination booking system, Burendo helped develop and implement the COVID Pass, which allowed citizens to safely and securely prove their vaccination status, facilitating the safe reopening of society. These solutions contributed significantly to the government’s efforts to manage the public health crisis.
• NHS DigiTrials: Recognising the importance of accelerating clinical research, Burendo partnered with NHS DigiTrials to enhance the platform’s capabilities. An agile strategy and outcome-based delivery approach streamlined the clinical trials process, improving efficiency and accessibility for researchers and patients alike. Burendo’s ability to integrate innovative solutions with real-world healthcare needs has created faster access to clinical trials for patients. “Utilising data and automation, we’re proud to have provided assistance in this national clinical-trials government project effectively saving lives and tackling some of the biggest healthcare challenges,” says Glenn.
• Cancer Waiting Times: Burendo has contributed to the improvement of cancer waiting times by providing data analytics and programme management expertise. By optimising processes and streamline workflows, Burendo has contributed to the NHS’s efforts to reduce delays and improve patient outcomes, using data to understand bottlenecks and then implement solutions to reduce them.
• Vaccine Booking System: Burendo’s team, within the Vaccination Data Service (VDS), is assisting the UK’s Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) vaccination programme. The programme has already achieved a significant 62 per cent reduction in RSV-related hospitalisations among individuals aged 75-79. Their support involves identifying approximately 800,000 people with email addresses in the Personal Demographic Service (PDS), and a total of 1.2m individuals who are eligible for the vaccine.
• UKHSA Data Dashboard: As a strategic partner of the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), Burendo played a critical role in the delivery of the data dashboard. This comprehensive tool provides real-time insights into public health threats, enabling timely and informed decision-making.
ukhsa-dashboard.data.gov.uk/
Burendo, within Genomics England’s high performance computing teams, has been at the forefront of creating integrated data solutions that empower healthcare organisations to make better, faster decisions. This has been achieved by leveraging his expertise in designing and managing largescale high-performance and high-throughput computing (HPC/HTC) clusters across hybrid multi-cloud distributed systems, directly contributing to groundbreaking advances in genomics and precision medicine through the continuous improvement of these critical computing infrastructures.
One of the core elements of its approach is a commitment to agile methodologies, prioritising flexibility, rapid iteration, and continuous improvement. Burendo places a strong emphasis on designing solutions that are intuitive and accessible. This user-centric approach is particularly critical in healthcare, where patient engagement and adherence are key to successful outcomes. Whether designing a vaccination booking system or a clinical trials platform, Burendo ensures that all solutions are easy for patients to navigate, leading to improved engagement and a more seamless experience.
By harnessing the power of data analytics, Burendo provides actionable insights that help healthcare organisations make informed decisions. From identifying operational bottlenecks to predicting patient outcomes, these data-driven solutions optimise healthcare delivery, improve efficiency, and support better decision-making at all levels of the healthcare system.
CONTACT INFORMATION