Hello everyone! I'm Erica Warren, the newly appointed Innovation Lead for Mental Health, Learning Difficulties, and Autism for the East Midlands Alliance. It's an absolute pleasure to be a part of this journey, and I'm eager to see what we can achieve together.
I embarked on this exciting new role on the 26th of June, 2023. This position is one of several new ‘hosted’ Innovation Lead roles across the East Midlands, each with its unique focus. I consider myself fortunate to be a part of two phenomenal teams - the Leicestershire Partnership Foundation Trust and the East Midlands Academic Health Science Network (EMAHSN). I'm certain that their collective wealth of knowledge and expertise will prove invaluable to my work.
As the Innovation Lead for Mental Health, my key responsibility is to increase our partners' capacity and capability to adopt innovation. I intend to work closely with our partners to understand their unique priorities and challenges, helping them identify, test, and adopt innovations that address these. I'm excited about the AHSN network's potential to bring proven innovations from other regions to ours.
The AHSN network offers extensive support along the 'innovation pathway'. As a navigator, I am confident I can leverage this expertise to cater to our partners' needs. This involves 'horizon' scanning for innovations, developing real-world evaluations, and guiding the adoption and spread of these innovations.
With my background in NHS research and innovation, I firmly believe in the intrinsic link between research and innovation. I'm passionate about recognising innovation across trusts – on wards, in offices, out in the community - not just within research departments. I eagerly anticipate identifying these innovations and offering support to progress these ideas through the innovation pipeline.
Having recently relocated from Yorkshire, I am new to the East Midlands. However, I am swiftly acclimatising to the local systems and building stakeholder relationships. I am excited to match proven solutions to the challenges identified in collaboration with EMAHSN. While doing so, ensuring our innovation does not contribute to inequalities, such as digital poverty, is crucial.
In my first month here, the warm reception from team members and stakeholders has been immensely encouraging. Despite the pressures they face, their enthusiasm for the potential of innovation to tackle their challenges is truly inspiring. I look forward to realising this potential and promoting a culture of innovation across the East Midlands Mental Health Alliance. My ultimate goal is to foster tangible improvements that benefit both patients and teams.
In conclusion, I am thrilled about the journey we're embarking on together. Here's to harnessing the power of innovation to make a meaningful difference in the mental health sector in the East Midlands!