Nursing departments in hospitals are struggling with severe staff shortages and significant delays in digitalisation. This has a negative impact on both staff and patients. The software developed by Opal Solutions offers vital support, giving healthcare teams more time and reintroducing a more human touch to hospitals.

There was nothing in Xavier Rouby’s background as a Doctor in nuclear physics from UCLouvain to suggest that he would dedicate his career to hospital digitalisation. However, a professional turning point came in 2009 during an assignment at the Saint Pierre university hospital in Brussels. “I discovered a sector that was incredibly engaging, both from a human and an entrepreneurial perspective,” he explains. “There was so much to be done in terms of digitalisation, particularly in the nursing department, which was very poorly served despite the large number of staff involved.“

A long development phase

This experience led to several years of development for Careboard, Xavier Rouby’s future software package for managing nurses’ workload, which offers a comprehensive overview of their activity. The objectives were strictly organisational, as healthcare teams are subject to the dual demands of immediate results and efficiency. “In a hospital, unlike other sectors, what must be done today cannot be put off until tomorrow.“

Growing interest

It was an arduous task and the business was not profitable. However, hospitals and nursing schools in Brussels showed increasing interest in a context where nurses spend nearly 40% of their time on non-patient care tasks. Opal Solutions was officially founded in 2016.

A small, but highly motivated team formed around Xavier Rouby who recalls, “Through digitalisation, I wanted to give healthcare teams more time, support them in all non-care tasks and therefore help to solve the staff shortages in the sector. Although profitability was still a long way off, the project’s impact was always clear. We knew why we were working so hard. Having motivated individuals around who believed in the company’s mission and values, especially new graduates, was incredible.“

A turning point in 2020

Working with the Saint Pierre and Saint Luc university hospitals and the Ilya Prigogine nursing school marked the beginning of a rapid growth period from 2018. The COVID-19 pandemic shone a spotlight on Opal Solutions’ activities. “We saw part of the crisis coming because we had already been working with several Brussels hospitals for a number of years. We were able to adapt our Careboard tool to support some of them in collecting statistics.“

In 2020, Opal Solutions won a European contract for Brussels public hospitals with Interneo, a platform designed by the company to manage internships between hospitals, schools and students. This was “our greatest success in Europe,” Xavier Rouby says proudly. “We are a true phenomenon. No one addresses this issue like we do.” More successes followed.

Expanding the range

Opal Solutions immediately developed two other valuable software tools for the hospital sector. Formeo is designed to pool internal training management, improve the quality of continuing education and map out available skills. Meanwhile, Externeo[Oneliner1]  simplifies the process of requesting and assigning temporary staff, ensuring teams receive the right support at the right time.

Other products are in development, although they remain under wraps. “Focusing entirely on this niche market enables us to offer more powerful and effective tools,” says Xavier Rouby.

A sound structure

The strategy has proven successful. In 2022, Opal Solutions recorded a gross profit of over €650,000 and has a strong team of around twenty people. “We received support from Business Angels and Sambrinvest, especially during the COVID-19 crisis, but we raised very little money and our structure is very sound,” says the founder. “Our business has primarily been funded by our customers.“

Today, Opal Solutions’ software is used in every French-speaking hospital in Brussels, 60% of Walloon hospitals, two in Flanders and several others in France. Plans are underway to expand into North Africa, Quebec, Germany and Finland, with the help of the lifetech.brussels cluster.

The fact that all of this is happening in Brussels is no accident. “The capital has all the right conditions,” explains Xavier Rouby. “With its high population density, various institutions and many people who come here for treatment, Brussels was the perfect launchpad. Now, we need to take advantage of our multilingualism to expand internationally.“

No success story without lifetech.brussels

Although originally founded in Brabant Walloon, Opal Solutions quickly became part of the Brussels MedTech ecosystem. “It was a continuous and logical process,” emphasises Xavier Rouby. “The lifetech.brussels cluster has always stood out for its openness and commitment to offer support. You can sense that their teams really want to drive change. Hub.brussels’ strength is that it brings together all the necessary expertise under one roof.”

He adds, “Taking part in events organised by lifetech.brussels and meeting others in our highly specialised sector is a unique opportunity!“

Website: https://opalsolutions.be/en/