As the East Midlands innovation arm of the NHS, we recognise the need to try out new techniques to both ensure patients and citizens benefit from new innovative technologies and also work better with health and care systems to make this happen.

Since its inception, the East Midlands AHSN has been involved in the local and national adoption of dozens of innovations - from apps, systems, processes, diagnostics, medicines and devices to major pathway redesigns. Innovation adoption is complex, requiring insight into barriers and enablers to getting transformative change not only to spread but to scale and stick. Things that on face value are ‘slam dunks’ often fail. Every day our knowledge base is growing about the conditions needed for successful innovation adoption.

Colleagues working in systems have increased workload pressures, which can negatively impact on their capacity to support innovation development. The EMAHSN recognises the strain, coupled with the requirements of the Health and care Act for ICSs to deliver on key parameters around Innovation and Research. The need for ICSs to have a clear strategy in this space is instrumental and the EMAHSN is aligning with systems to support this work and in essence, strengthen its role as the ‘ docking stations’ for ICS innovation in the East Midlands.

In this blog, Suzanne Horobin, EMAHSN Head of Innovation Exchange highlights funding for new roles being recruited into each ICS, The East Midlands Imaging Network (EMRAD) and the Mental Health Alliance for the East Midlands.

How do we support health and care systems? What’s our approach?

AHSNs work alongside partners from across all sectors involved in health and care including the NHS, social care and public health, patients, research, third sector and industry – to identify, test and spread new technologies and better ways of working.

Working with our Office of Life Science (OLS) Commission, we take innovators through a process called the East Midlands Innovation Exchange. This is our approach to identify, select and support innovations, it consists of four structured elements:

• Needs definition – how we work with Integrated Care Systems (ICSs) to establish their needs.
• Innovator support and signposting – a coordinated offer to innovators encouraging organisations and sectors to collaborate to bring new ways of working
• Real world validation – how we confirm and provide evidence of the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of an innovation
• Spread and adoption of supported innovations – the process in which we support the adoption and spread of innovation from within the East Midlands and beyond.

During the last few months, we approached partners in the East Midlands to propose the introduction of new roles that would add to our capacity and ability to bring more innovation to patients and citizens at a greater pace.

So, what are these roles and what is their purpose?

EMAHSN has offered two years of funding to each ICS as well as to the East Midlands Imaging Network - EMRAD and the Mental Health Alliance for the East Midlands.

The roles will provide a two-way channel for the development and scale of innovation, supporting the import of innovation into health and care systems. Their purpose will be to identify innovation being developed locally that could benefit from EMAHSN support. 

The following key responsibilities have been identified:

• Support the delivery of ICS Innovation plans
• Align priority workstreams conducting needs analysis and support the exploration and definition of priority themes where there is a need for innovation
• Navigation of multiple sources of innovations – horizon scanning for opportunities
• Reviewing innovations on behalf of both EMAHSN and ICS partners to establish their fit with local need
• Exploring opportunities for real world validation projects that test proven innovation and evaluate their impact to ensure sustainability and spread
• Broker introductions and connections into ICS constituent organisations to facilitate the adoption and spread of proven innovation
• Identification of innovations developed within ICS constituent organisations appropriate for AHSN support to scale.

Where will these roles be hosted?

So far, four of our East Midlands ICSs have confirmed their support and have identified an organisation and team to host the roles.  Each is moving through its local recruitment process towards being able to advertise a vacancy. 

Keep an eye on NHS Jobs and the 'join our team recruitment page' for the roles coming to advert!

How will EMAHSN support these roles?

Each post holder, as well as reporting to their line manager within the hosting organisation, will have a dotted line to me and will work closely with my team.

They will become part of our Innovation Pipeline team and attend forums that support the development of innovations as they move towards real world testing and full deployment.  These roles will be pivotal in supporting the ICS Innovation agenda and working hand in glove with the EMAHSN. Having specifically worked on Innovation adoption for eight years, we aim to ensure these roles understand the conditions needed for innovation adoption,  spread and embedding. The EMAHSN has summarised five considerations for embedding transformation and innovation and this will be part of the toolbox supporting the newly created system roles.

From our Monday morning business review of new enquiries to diagnostic calls with innovators, taking innovations to local colleagues for their opinions to scoping with colleagues in their local systems; the roles will be exciting, fast-paced and never boring – that’s a promise!

For queries on these roles please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

Author 

Suzanne Horobin, Head of Innovation Exchange