I’m absolutely delighted to write my first blog as the new Managing Director of the East Midlands AHSN!
Having worked in the medical technology and pharmaceutical industries for the last 24 years, I understand the positive impact that appropriate solutions can have for the healthcare system and patient outcomes.
I’m looking forward to using my knowledge to help innovators navigate the healthcare system and work with NHS and health and social care providers to find solutions to some of their most pressing priorities.
I’m keen to use my experience and industry background to work with health and care partners to show how the NHS can benefit from the strengths of industry, such as the commitment to research and development of innovations to meet NHS objectives.
National focus, local impact
When I saw the role at EMAHSN, I was particularly interested in the way the AHSN Network as 15 organisations work across the country to share best practice and proven innovations to maximise their impact on a national scale. The national schemes worked on and promoted locally by the Network such as the NHS Innovation Accelerator (NIA), Innovation and Technology Payment (ITP) and of course the seven national AHSN programmes selected for national adoption and spread across the Network during 2018-2020, to me show how we can platform some of country’s best innovations whilst using knowledge of the local health and care landscape to understand how this would work in practice.
The AHSN focus on national health and care priorities really appealed to me. I have a real interest in the needs of the ageing population and the impact an increasingly ageing population is likely to have on health and care services and how we can prepare for the challenges this may bring. I am also interested in the prioritisation of mental health within the NHS Long Term Plan and growing awareness around the wider mental health agenda – the AHSNs already look to have some excellent innovations in this area, so I’m looking forward to learning more about how we can further the spread of these innovations to reach even more people.
Helping people – benefit from improved outcomes and find their voice
The thing that I feel most strongly about and committed to is the difference that the EMAHSN can make to patients – whether that’s introducing new technology or training staff on quality improvement, in the end benefits the patient and that is the most important element. In my previous roles working within the healthcare industry I was passionate about ensuring as many patients as possible could have access to products and services that would enhance their quality of life and outcomes. I very much look forward to continuing this work with EMAHSN.
Leading on from this, the EMAHSN’s Patient and Public Involvement work struck me as a really important initiative to make sure patients are central to any and all NHS transformation work in the region. Through this work, we can ensure patients are heard and also aim to address health inequalities. I’m looking forward to understanding how this part of the EMAHSN’s work can be taken even further and gain even more momentum.
I really see the value that the AHSNs can bring to bridging the gap across the health sector and bringing together NHS, universities, industry, third sector and social care to improve patient outcomes and make a real difference to the health and care system locally and nationally. I am truly excited about joining EMAHSN, working on great projects with really committed colleagues.