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Unique research collaboration highlights innovative approaches for post-pandemic healthcare A new report outlines the findings of 14 projects which identified and tested promising innovations to support post-pandemic ways of working in the NHS. The NHS Insights Prioritisation Programme was launched in 2021 to contribute to the recovery from COVID-19, build resilience and deliver benefits to patients. Health innovation networks (HINs) and the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Applied Research Collaborations (ARCs) teamed up for the projects, benefitting from each other’s unique skills and links with system partners. Each project received a share of £4.2m funding from NHS England and the Accelerated Access Collaborative. The partnerships tested and evaluated innovative approaches within their local Integrated Care Systems. Each project focused on four priority areas: • Remote consultation – a discussion between a clinician or patient which is not carried out face-to-face • Remote monitoring – using technology to support people at home to collect clinical data and share it securely with a clinician • New approaches to service delivery – improving services, particularly for those experiencing health inequalities for access to services • Health and social care workforce innovation – how staff can help innovation in service delivery and develop new ways of working The COVID-19 pandemic acted as a disruptor and accelerator of innovation. By demonstrating its resilience and ability to make changes rapidly, the NHS has been able to learn from the pandemic and future-proof services. The local collaboration between Health Innovation West of England and NIHR ARC West focused on the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme. The scheme funds non-GP healthcare professionals, such as physiotherapists and paramedics, to work in primary care. • Read the summary report and individual findings for each project • Read the West of England project report (PDF) Richard Stubbs, Chair of The Health Innovation Network, explains: “The NHS Insights Prioritisation Programme has provided a rapid analysis of some of the most promising health and care innovations across the country in real-world settings. These findings and recommendations will help Integrated Care Systems understand how they might implement these new approaches in their local system.” An independent evaluation of the programme concluded that NIPP had been successful in facilitating a structured approach for the funding and acceleration of innovations and interventions, building on previous initiatives, such as the NHS Beneficial Changes Network. It also noted that the programme had cemented existing relationships between health innovation networks and NIHR ARCs, which may lead to more joint working in future. Professor Dame Nicky Cullum, Chair of the NIHR Applied Research Collaborations, added: “The collaboration between the health innovation networks and the NIHR Applied Research Collaborations has enabled us to deliver practical insights that address changing health and care needs post-pandemic. We hope this learning will help health and care teams, and benefit our communities.” See the full evaluation, together with the project and executive summary reports, and links to a series of podcasts and blogs about the programme.

A new report outlines the findings of 14 projects which identified and tested promising innovations to support post-pandemic ways of working in the NHS. The NHS Insights Prioritisation Programme was launched in 2021 to contribute to the recovery from COVID-19, build resilience and deliver benefits to patients. Health innovation networks (HINs) and the National Institute…

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Supporting Economic Growth

Alex Leach, Deputy Director of Programmes

Our commission from the Office for Life Sciences focuses on the creation of a dynamic pipeline of healthcare innovations so that innovative new devices, services, treatments, and medical technologies reach patients faster and to support economic growth in the West of England. Here Alex Leach, Health Innovation West of England’s Deputy Director of Programmes, looks…

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Exploring views of maternity staff around breastfeeding support and how we encourage wider use of tech solutions

Dr Ben Newton, Senior Research Evaluator

Dr Ben Newton, Senior Research Evaluator at Health Innovation West of England, reflects on recent work he’s been involved with to understand the perceptions of maternity staff around the use of smartphone technology to support women with breastfeeding and how this is now shaping our real-world evaluation of the Anya parenting app in Gloucestershire. How…

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14 strategies to implement digital services into routine work: article review

Dr Ben Newton, Senior Research Evaluator, Health Innovation West of England

In this blog, Dr Ben Newton, Senior Research Evaluator at Health Innovation West of England, shares his reflections on a qualitative interview study among health and social care professionals on their experiences of digital service implementations. I came across an article called How to implement digital services in a way that they integrate into routine…

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Why creating a positive safety culture is a critical part of the Patient Safety Incident Response Framework (PSIRF)

Nathalie Delaney, Senior Programme Manager at the West of England AHSN

Across England, NHS service providers have been working through the Patient Safety Incident Response Framework since it was published a year ago in preparation for the transition to a new approach in autumn 2023. In this blog, Nathalie Delaney, Senior Programme Manager at the West of England AHSN, explores why understanding and creating a positive…

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Improving outcomes for patients needing non-invasive ventilation care

Dr Mark Juniper, Respiratory Consultant at the Great Western Hospital and Medical Director at the West of England AHSN

In this blog, Dr Mark Juniper, Respiratory Consultant at the Great Western Hospital, Swindon, and Medical Director at the West of England AHSN, gives a progress report on the collaborative to reduce mortality following acute non-invasive ventilation (NIV). He tells us how sharing the data collected for this project can help deliver the improvements needed……

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