15 September, 2009
NHS East Midlands has launched a dedicated Regional Innovation Fund offering our local NHS organisations and their partners the chance to apply for a share of £1.94 million to make great ideas a reality.
The cash will be invested in a combination of projects, speeding up the time it takes for innovative solutions to get from the design bench to the ‘bedside’ and wherever care is provided. This will benefit East Midlands’ patients directly and increase the quality of the care they receive.
The best ideas often come from staff who are working close to patients on the ‘frontline’, but implementing ideas can be complex. By establishing this new regional fund, money will be invested in projects that will result in more creative solutions; involving closer partnership working across different organisations and disciplines; speeding up the rate of implementation of evidence-based practice and ensuring that clinical service delivery is at the leading edge. In this way, our patients will have the best possible care experiences.
Trusts are encouraged to apply against a number of key allocations that support the priorities of their NHS organisation, address areas of clinical need or specific challenges suggested by frontline staff that could be solved through innovative thinking. There will also be opportunities to propose existing innovations that could be fast-tracked, to apply for innovation fellowships and bursaries, and propose services for local innovation awards.
Each strategic health authority in England is receiving £1.93 million this year, with a further £5 million in each of the next four years as part of the government’s commitment announced in April to create a more innovative and high quality health service. They will work with innovation experts from private, public and other experts to assess and develop the proposals submitted and ensure that the really good ideas get off the ground and are adopted and spread across the NHS.
Kathy McLean, Medical Director of NHS East Midlands says: “Previously in the NHS, the potential of many good ideas from staff to improve care was not realised. We are therefore delighted to announce the launch of the new East Midlands Regional Innovation Fund to help make a reality of the ideas of frontline staff, and inspire more than 100,000 NHS staff in the East Midlands to help improve services. And we look forward to working more closely with our partners including social care, researchers, universities, industry and the third sector to improve quality and productivity in healthcare, making a difference each day to people's lives.”
