Newcastle specialist pelvic health physiotherapist Suzanne Vernazza has secured a £75,000 Innovate UK Women in Innovation Award to develop and clinically validate a new digital pelvic health platform designed to help people understand their pelvic health and symptoms earlier, build healthy habits, and know when and where to seek further support.
Suzanne, founder of Know Your Floors CIC and CEO of Premere Ltd, developed the concept through years of clinical work with NHS patients experiencing bladder and bowel problems, pelvic pain and pelvic organ prolapse. She also runs an online community of more than 670,000 followers, the #SqueezeAlong movement, giving her first-hand insight into the barriers people face when trying to understand symptoms, find reliable information and maintain pelvic floor exercises.
The funding will support further development and further testing of the Know Your Floors App, which is due to enter beta testing in December 2026. The app will combine daily pelvic floor exercises, different workout styles, reminders and gamification with trusted pelvic health education and symptom information. It will also feature an AI-supported information tool, which will undergo clinical validation and testing to assess the accuracy and safety of its responses and ensure appropriate signposting.
Suzanne said: “This funding is transformational for the project. It allows us to move from an idea with strong clinical foundations and community support to a properly tested, launch-ready product.
“We will be able to work alongside beta testers to refine the experience and carefully validate the AI-supported information feature, so we’re building something that is not only innovative, but clinically robust and worthy of people’s trust.”
The project has also been supported by the Internet of Caring Things® (IoCT™) programme. As the concept developed from Suzanne’s clinical experience and the #SqueezeAlong community into a digital health proposition, IoCT™ support began with a diagnostic survey before progressing to a bespoke study designed to capture unbiased user feedback and reduce development risks.
Jennine Jonczyk, Programme Lead for the Internet of Caring Things®, said: “Suzanne has done something really powerful. She has helped to bring pelvic floor health out into the open, making a subject that can be difficult for women to talk about feel much more approachable and accessible. By combining her clinical expertise with the insight of a huge online community and the innovative use of gamification, she is finding a new way to engage and support women with their pelvic health. We are incredibly proud to have supported Suzanne and delighted to see her work receive this recognition and funding.”
Pelvic floor dysfunction affects around one in three women and one in six men, yet people can delay seeking support because of embarrassment, uncertainty or difficulty accessing reliable information. Improving access to pelvic health support has also been identified as a priority within the North East and North Cumbria Women’s Health Strategy. Know Your Floors aims to make pelvic health support more accessible and easier to incorporate into everyday life.
