We are currently seeking Senior Innovation Leads, two permanent posts and an additional fixed term contract / secondment to cover maternity leave. (deadlines for application is 14 May 2020).
Earlier this year our Senior Innovation Lead Dawn Plummer told us about her role and responsibilities, what she enjoys and what she was looking forward to working on at the time and what it is like working at EMAHSN to give any candidates a flavour of what they could expect working here.
Currently colleagues are working hard to proactively support the health and care system throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. This includes brokering relationships between healthcare and industry to accelerate the adoption of useful technologies, providing patient safety support in priority areas along with enabling access to resources and supporting industry partners to register products and access funding for COVID-related technology. You can find out more about this here.
To find out more about the role and how to apply, visit the NHS Jobs website.
My background
I have worked within a variety of roles in acute trusts, with specific experience in looking to improve patient and staff experience. I have worked in the NHS for 13 years, starting off in ICT (I am a computer science graduate) and moving into analytics and then project management following my completion of the NHS Graduate Management Training Scheme.
The Senior Innovation Lead role
I was first attracted to the role of Senior Innovation Lead here at EMAHSN as I liked the idea of working on projects to positively impact the lives of patients before they reach acute hospitals and perhaps reduce the need for them to attend hospital at all.
I would tell anyone interested in this role that it is a very positive organisation to be a part of – everything we do is with an aim to bring positive change within the NHS and there are a huge variety of innovations and initiatives to get involved in. If anyone is interested in the satisfaction of making a difference to the local population this is a great job to do. There is also a lot of variety here and no two days are the same!
What I’m working on at the moment
I am currently working with the Innovation Programme team on the SIM (Serenity Integrated Monitoring) programme which looks at working with high intensity users of the emergency services and how we can mentor this group to improve their quality of life and also reduce the cost to the system through reduced A&E attendances and police call outs when they are in crisis.
I am also working with the Innovation and Commercial team to organise our Digital Technologies in Mental Health and IAPT Innovation Exchange which we are working on with the West Midlands AHSN. This process is bringing together innovators and providers to address the specific health and care challenges identified in the area of mental health and Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT). Innovators with appropriate digital solutions and health and care organisations will be asked to submit proposals for potential demonstrator projects, where they can work together to test these solutions in real-world settings. I will be supporting selected innovators and sponsors through this process.
I am currently supporting the organisations involved in two demonstrator projects which have been developed following a previous Innovation Exchange. One project focuses on point of care testing for paediatric acute respiratory infection to reduce hospital attendances unnecessary antibiotic prescribing and another looking at implementing an app to tackle loneliness in new parents.
I am most excited about providing assistance to get the demonstrators started so that we can hopefully start to realise the benefits and make a positive difference to our community. I really like meeting all of the stakeholders for our projects and making connections.
I also enjoy the innovation surgeries and exchanges where we get to find out more (and get excited!) about new innovations and innovators with the potential to work with them in the future.
Starting at EMAHSN
It’s always a little daunting starting in a new organisation but I was pleasantly surprised at just how welcoming and supportive everyone here has been. I didn’t feel like the new person for long as everyone made an effort to make me feel like a valued part of the team. I feel very supported by management and there is a feeling of transparency so I can raise anything I think I need some support with and know I will be given advice and assistance.
I would encourage anyone that thinks they have the right skills and a passion about health and care transformation to apply for the role.
Author
Dawn Plummer, Senior Innovation Lead