About Melo

Melo is behavioural intelligence for clinical teams. Staff record structured observations at the point of care, and Melo turns that record into evidence teams can use to understand what is changing and make better-informed decisions. The people building Melo work closely with the teams using it in practice.

Nine members of the Melo team standing together in the office
A team member laughing while presenting at a lectern
Two colleagues in conversation at a shared desk
Two team members at their laptops while a colleague looks in from a doorway
A team member smiling at a team night out
A team member about to bowl at a team night out

Our story

Melo began with a friend's brain injury and the paper forms hospitals use to record behaviour.

01

The kitchen table

In 2021, James Chapman and James Burch, JC and JB to the team, sat at JC's kitchen table and talked about what to do next. They had worked together in health technology before, and they wanted their next company to do some good.

02

A friend's injury

Around the same time, a close friend of JC's had a fall that left him with a brain injury. His recovery was long, and the injury changed his behaviour. JC saw the effect on his friend and on the people close to him.

So many technology solutions start the wrong way round. They build the tech, and then they try and find the problem.

James ChapmanCo-founder
03

Into the hospitals

JC and JB spent about 18 months going into hospitals and talking to the nurses, psychologists and therapists who care for people after a brain injury. Staff were recording behaviour with pen and paper, and sometimes typing it into a spreadsheet afterwards. On two wards, they found three different versions of the same form.

04

What came of it

Melo came out of those conversations. It takes the assessments clinical teams already use and makes them quick to complete at the point of care. We still build it with the people who use it.

See how Melo works

Year by year

  1. The company starts

    James Chapman and James Burch set up Decently Limited, the company behind Melo.

  2. Listening first

    JC and JB run discovery sessions with clinical teams. A grant from UK Research and Innovation funds the first prototype.

  3. Onto the ward

    NHS neurorehabilitation wards pilot Melo, and a Clinical Safety Officer joins the team.

  4. Beyond the NHS

    Charity and independent hospitals are using Melo alongside the NHS.

  5. 100,000 assessments

    Clinical teams pass 100,000 behavioural assessments recorded in Melo, and CareTech invests.

James Chapman and James Burch in cycling helmets, smiling at the camera
September 2021. JC and JB, the month the company was set up.

How we work

Members of the Melo team with hospital staff, standing under a balloon arch

Built with the people who use it

We spent 18 months on hospital wards before we built anything, listening to the staff who record behaviour. We still build Melo with the teams who use it.

Honest about the evidence

Every result we publish says how it was measured: observed, modelled or self-reported. We are careful about what the data can support and clear about what it cannot.

See the evidence

Made for every shift

Melo is built to be part of everyday practice, so behaviour is recorded the same way week after week.

90%active use sustained one year after go-liveObserved. Specialist neurobehavioural inpatient implementation study.

The team

Melo is built by a team spanning clinical practice, product, engineering, design, research, customer success and commercial work. Select anyone to read more.

Leads on
Before Melo
LinkedIn profile

The board

Melo is made by Decently Limited. Our co-founders, James Chapman and James Burch, sit on its board alongside three directors and a board observer.

  • Anthony Benton Director Owner and Managing Director of Joseph Flach & Sons. Previously grew a software business through to acquisition. LinkedIn profile for Anthony Benton
  • Jess Jackson Director Investment Manager at PXN Group, working on health and life sciences investments. LinkedIn profile for Jess Jackson
  • Zak Sheikh Director Business Development Director at CareTech, an investor in Melo. Experienced in growing adult, children's and specialist care services.
  • Jason Druker Board Observer Chief Commercial Officer at SFC Capital, one of our investors. LinkedIn profile for Jason Druker

Life at Melo

We're a small team based in Manchester, building Melo alongside the clinicians who use it. Here is what you get when you join us, and any roles we have open.

A team member laughing at a team bowling night

28 days' holiday

Plus every UK bank holiday, and an extra day off for your birthday.

Two team members laughing at a shared desk

£500 for learning or wellbeing

A personal budget for courses, books, training or wellbeing support. You choose how to use it.

Hybrid working

Our office is in Campfield, Manchester. The team is in at least one day a week, usually Wednesday.

A team member about to bowl at a team night out

Company pension

You join the company pension plan once you have passed probation.

Open roles

Melo is made by Decently Limited, so your contract would be with Decently Limited.