In this blog, Nick Hamilton Digital and AI Project Manager shares his experience of his time working at EMAHSN as a Project Manager as part of our Innovation Delivery team, to recently working in the Innovation Exchange and Commerical team.
He also gives insight into the soon to be launched 2022 East Midlands Digital Health Accelerator programme for commercial health innovators and clinical entrepreneurs.
In January 2021 I took a new post as Digital and AI Project Manager within the Innovation Exchange and Commercial team. This was both an exciting and daunting prospect for me.
I previously worked as a Project Manager in our Innovation Delivery team where I managed a diverse portfolio of complex pathway change projects in health settings (e.g. The Scarred Liver Project, Implementing Group Psychoeducation for Bipolar Disorder), the majority of which were NHS / academia-led.
I consider myself an ‘NHS native’ but I have never been on the other side of the fence as a commercial innovator or clinical entrepreneur. Therefore, I approached the prospect of supporting small to medium enterprises, some with little experience of navigating the health and care sector, with more than a little trepidation!
Understanding ‘digital’ as a way of working
I have been in post for seven months now; it has been a steep learning curve and I am under no illusions that I am near the peak. Fortunately, I love learning, variety (one of the great facets of working at EMAHSN) and enjoy a challenge! It has been a genuinely fascinating and enjoyable journey so far. I have had the opportunity and good fortune to work with and learn from many talented and committed people and have made valuable connections as a result. Moreover, what I have learned so far about ‘digital’ as a way of working rather than a category of technology has fundamentally shifted my professional perspectives and assumptions.
East Midlands Digital Health Accelerator programme
My primary responsibility is to lead the East Midlands Digital Health Accelerator (EMDHA) programme which supports early-stage companies with digital health innovations to better understand the NHS and care system and to develop their product and value proposition accordingly.
Our Digital Health Accelerator provides a small cohort of companies (four this year) with a blend of individual coaching / bespoke support and a structured curriculum of masterclasses tailored for digital health innovators led by subject matter experts.
One thing that immediately struck me about our 2021 cohort is the sheer diversity in terms of stage of development, the background of the individuals and the potential applications of their technologies across the health and care landscape.
This presented a challenge to us as a delivery team to ensure that the programme content was relevant to everyone. However, it has turned out to be a real strength for the group and an unexpected benefit; no company competes with another therefore their willingness to share insights, opportunities and provide peer support has been fantastic. This has also generated valuable learning for me as I observed that, despite their differences, many of the obstacles the innovators have encountered are similar and consequently their needs broadly aligned.
We started the year with requirements gathering, agreeing on account plans with each innovator, and establishing core objectives for December 2021 (when our intensive support package ends). The companies will continue to receive signposting and unstructured support as EMDHA alumni throughout 2022 but our focus this year has been on making the connections and providing the bespoke support needed to achieve these objectives.
Having effectively completed the structured content we are moving into the targeted phase of the programme. We are continuing in the same vein and have several group activities planned. The difference is that these respond to stated innovator needs, for example, the opportunity to talk to individuals working on digital transformation within Integrated Care Systems and understand the changing commissioning landscape.
Looking ahead to EMDHA 2022
I have genuinely relished the challenge over the last seven months and feel that we are well on track to achieving the 2021 EMDHA cohort’s individual goals; in some cases, they have already been surpassed!
The COVID-19 pandemic has inevitably put unprecedented strain on the health and care system. I cannot begin to express my gratitude to those on the frontline and my sympathy for those affected by the disease. It has also undeniably catalysed a step-change in the adoption of digital technologies by the health and care system. I am looking ahead to the 2022 East Midlands Digital Health Accelerator to build on this experience and enhance our offer to both innovators and the health and care system.
We are currently adding the finishing touches to our plan for the 2022 programme and will be open for applications in Autumn. If you are a small to medium enterprise with a digital health innovation that offers value to the health and care system in the East Midlands, I would very much encourage you to apply! We will publish more detailed information on this soon.
If you are interested in the East Midlands Digital Health Accelerator programme, I would be delighted to hear from you. Please contact me at