Blogs

My highlights working as the Head of Equalities and Involvement at Health Innovation East Midlands

Shahnaz Aziz, Head of Equalities and Involvement at Health Innovation East Midlands (HIEM) discusses the importance of Patient and Public Leadership in health care transformation, as well as a great opportunity to join our team as a Public Involvement and Equalities specialist. 

CVD prevention and Cholesterol Awareness Month

October is Cholesterol Awareness Month, which seems a great opportunity for us to share details of HIEMs CVD Prevention programme and remind healthcare services in the East Midlands of the support HIEM can offer.

The NHS Long Term Plan states that the biggest area where the NHS can save lives over the next 10 years is in reducing the incidence of cardiovascular disease (CVD).

CVD affects around seven million people in the UK and is a significant cause of disability and death. CVD is responsible for one in four premature deaths in the UK, with those in the most deprived areas almost twice as likely to die from CVD.

Senior Lead - Innovation & Improvement Projects

Key success factors for spreading health innovation at pace and scale

In this blog, Health Innovation East Midlands Managing Director Nicole McGlennon reflects on the ongoing outstanding impacts of a former national programme to accelerate the diagnosis of ADHD – and identifies some of the key learnings relevant to any NHS transformation project. 

HIEM Chief Executive

Two months into his new role as Independent Chair, Professor Phil Baker reflects on his experience at Health Innovation East Midlands so far and aspirations for the future.

I love the NHS – it’s very special to me - so it’s an amazing honour to be in this new role.

I completed my medical training in Nottingham and worked in the NHS as an academic obstetrician for many years in the East Midlands and overseas. More recently I’ve worked extensively to drive the research enterprise and innovation endeavour from within our universities.

Within these roles, I’ve seen how research can lead to improvements in patient care further down the line, but this process can take a long time – too long.

Health Innovation East Midlands Chair

Meet the Innovator: Kerstyn Comley - Tellmi

To mark Mental Health Awareness Week, we’ve invited one of our innovators from the East Midlands Digital Health Accelerator, Tellmi Co-CEO, Kerstyn Comley to tell us about their digital peer support solution and their innovation journey.

 

  • Tell us about the innovation. The what and the why?

The UK’s mental health crisis has created an unmanageable increase in referrals to mental health services. The predominant 1-2-1 counselling model cannot meet demand and this has led to ever-lengthening waiting lists and increased threshold for treatment.

Reflections on 10 years of health innovation

Martin Hindle has served as the Chair of Health Innovation East Midlands (HIEM) since the organisation was set up in 2013.

As his fixed term appointment comes to an end – with a new chair to be unveiled in April – Martin reflects on some of the high points, and learnings, from his journey with HIEM over the past 10 years.

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martin blogBetween 2013 and the end of March 2024, I have been privileged to have served as the Independent Chair of the Governance Board for Health Innovation East Midlands, one of England’s 15 local health innovation networks.

My fixed term of office is about to end and in the next few days HIEM will be announcing the organisation’s new chair, to whom I wish great success – I’m sure they will be as inspired as I have been by the positive impacts achieved by the organisation and the fantastic expertise and commitment of our team.

How is innovation in health imaging being taken forward in the East Midlands to improve services?

Amaka Ojiako, EMRAD/HIEM Innovation Lead tells us about her first year in the role, all that has been achieved and plans for the future.

The joint innovation lead roles began in 2023. Health Innovation East Midlands has offered two years of funding for the roles to each ICS and to the East Midlands Imaging Network (EMRAD) and the Mental Health Alliance for the East Midlands. The new roles will work jointly with HIEM and with their lead organisation to support the delivery of the innovation plans, navigate multiple sources of innovation to look out for opportunities, review innovations and facilitate adoption and spread.

What’s it like being part of the East Midlands PPI Senate? Susan’s Journey

The East Midlands Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) Senate is looking for new members to join its Senate from Lincoln and Lincolnshire. The patient and public involvement Senate is an independent body hosted by HIEM, it works to spread best practice through its member’s networks – extending its reach through the East Midlands health and care community. The Senate membership comprises patients and carers with strategic experience in patient involvement and the co-production of health and care services. The Senate provides expert input and advice to HIEM programmes ensuring that patient involvement and co-production are at the heart of the organisation.

In this blog Senate member Susan Edge shares her experience as well as pivotal moments from her time being part of the Senate.

A unique opportunity to drive health innovation and transformation

Martin has served as the Chair of Health Innovation East Midlands (HIEM) since the organisation was set up in 2013.

He will be concluding his fixed term appointment at the end of March 2024, and in this blog, he reflects on HIEM’s journey and on the unique contribution that all local health innovation networks have made over the past 10 years.

Find out more about the role.

Find out more about Health Innovation East Midlands.

Watch a video about the role here.

A practical guide to spreading health innovation programmes

In this blog, Health Innovation East Midlands Managing Director Nicole McGlennon discusses the considerations for successful adoption of innovative and transformative projects – from smaller initiatives through to major programmes being driven across organisations, sectors and geographies. 

Using the example of Focus ADHD – a three-year innovation programme adopted across England via the Health Innovation Network – Nicole summarises the critical success factors that have been captured in a new blueprint document “Innovation implementation, readiness and resourcing”

HIEM Chief Executive