The story of how we came together is as inspiring as the work we have done together (and all of the amazing things yet to do). Telehealth Futures was created because of the fortunate convergence of several remarkable stories, owned by some remarkable people. Here is a glimpse into those stories (Still in progress, so will change) -

The Initial Spark...

Sepo Young is a Mental Health Clinical Nurse Consultant.

She is an amazing human that spends all her time helping others. Even though she had a childhood worthy of a movie, she has never declared herself a victim. Instead, she has used these lived experiences to shape her into what we see today.

Being born in Zambia and seeing in real terms the struggles faced by the Zambian people, Sepo dreamed of how she could change things for the better. Because of her in-built need to help, her passion to improve access to healthcare across Zambia grew.

It wasn't long before Sepo had a plan…

How we came together

Unexpected talent...

Duncan Nkhoma is a young guy. He works with heavy equipment and has real skills at keeping these running optimally for those that count on them. What many do not know is the trauma Duncan faced growing up in Zambia and the challenges he has had to overcome.

Duncan is one of the most positive and compassionate people it is possible to meet. Always willing to offer a hand of friendship, he changes lives in fundamentally positive ways. As a mental health advocate in Zambia, he is expertly placed to define and steer clinical effort where it can do the most good.

Fortunately for Telehealth Futures, Sepo discovered his story and reached out. There was an immediate kinship between these two superstars and the plan that Sepo had been germinating for years started to take shape.

Add a bit of digital magic...

Chris Tansell wants to know everything about everything, particularly health technology. Having used these tech skills to create a consultancy in London, Chris and his lovely wife, Teresa, decided they wanted more “community” in place of the “City life” they had. To do this, they moved to Western Australia in 2002.

Chris moved into healthcare and discovered what he had been looking for – a way to use interesting technology in novel ways, to create surprising outcomes that actually make a real difference to real people in need. Working for the Western Australian Government gave Chris the opportunity to experience healthcare delivery across huge distances, often with limited budgets. Who'd have thought this knowledge would take him from the Outback of Australia to the Heart of Africa?

When stars collide...

Jump to 2019.

Chris and Sepo are working at Perth Children’s Hospital in Perth, Western Australia, but in very different orbits.

Somehow, the Universe found a way to introduce them to each other and they realised they had a connection to do good and, as luck would have it, Sepo needed help that Chris could provide.

Sepo had realised that, to provide effective healthcare available across Zambia, with limited clinical and technical resources, a new paradigm would be required. Sepo had been investigating Telehealth for some time and realised the best place to learn was to arrange to work within the Emergency Telehealth Service (ETS), as part of the Statewide Telehealth Service, operated by the WA Department of Health.

Chris had worked for Statewide Telehealth Services and understood Telehealth. Sepo was an expert in mental health provision. Together, Sepo was upskilled in telehealth and secured a position within the ETS service, providing mental health emergency triage and support, across Western Australia.

What a success!

Sepo knew what she wanted and how to make it happen.

The birth of Telehealth Futures!

Another jump – This time to 2022.

Sepo calls Chris and reminds him of the project she wanted to get going to help the people of Zambia. Many hours and coffee’s later, a decision was made to start a company and "just do it".

This was the beginning of Telehealth Futures. As part of the discussions, Sepo told Chris about Duncan.

How could we not want him to be our eyes, ears and skills on the ground in Zambia? The big questions were – Could we get him??? Would he consider joining us??

Sepo was W-A-Y ahead of this. She hadn’t only been talking to me over the preceding years, but she had been engaging Duncan through this time, keeping him up to date on progress. Sepo was confident that Duncan would want to be a part of this small, but powerful, team.