Latest news

NHS England's Medical Director launches search for pioneering healthcare innovators

EMAHSN is supporting an NHS England initiative to help healthcare pioneers develop and scale their tried and tested innovations across parts of the NHS. Sir Bruce Keogh, NHS England's Medical Director, has launched the NHS Innovation Accelerator programme.

The programme will focus on the conditions and cultural change needed to enable the NHS to adopt innovations at scale and pace, aiming to improve outcomes and give patients more equitable access to the latest products, services and technology.

As outlined in the Five Year Forward View, the NHS is facing many pressures, including an aging population, more long-term conditions, rising costs and constrained budgets. State-of-the-art development, cost-effective solutions and new ways of delivering care are essential to improving patient outcomes and the health of the nation. The programme will help to deliver these priorities and to further develop our country's proud history of healthcare innovation.

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Up to £300k funding to help beat cancer in East Midlands - deadline 26 January

The East Midlands Academic Health Science Network (EMAHSN) are seeking innovative solutions to diagnose and treat cancer – and there are two weeks left to claim a share of the funding. We've issued a call for proposals with funding of up to £300,000 available – the deadline is Monday 26 January.

The initiative coincides with NHS England's announcement (11 January) of a national task force that will look at ways to improve cancer survival rates and help save thousands more lives throughout the country.

Cancer is one of the biggest health challenges facing the East Midlands, affecting 23,000 people across the region every year. One in every three East Midlands residents is likely to be diagnosed with cancer during their lives – and a quarter will not survive.

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East Midlands plays a key role in 100,000 Genomes Project

East Midlands partners are playing a leading role in developing the 100,000 Genomes Project, a major national initiative that aims to transform diagnosis and treatment for patients with cancer and rare diseases.

NHS England announced today (22 December) that the East of England has been designated as one of 11 Genomic Medicine Centres or GMCs (see 'Note to Editors').

The East of England project is led by Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, supported by the East Midlands Academic Health Science Network (EMAHSN), Eastern Academic Health Science Network, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust and Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

The GMCs have a track-record of providing excellence in genomic services and have been evaluated by NHS England to ensure they meet the requirements to deliver the project.

The GMCs will begin recruitment to the project from 2nd February 2015 and it is anticipated that there will be over 75,000 participants, who will include some patients with life threatening and debilitating disease. Eligible patients who are interested in getting involved will be referred to GMCs by their clinicians.

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EMAHSN seeks innovative solutions to one of the country’s biggest killers - up to £300k available to spread innovation

A 'call to action' has been issued to seek innovative solutions to one of the East Midlands' biggest healthcare challenges - cancer - which every year affects 23,000 people across the region.

VIP main imageThe East Midlands Academic Health Science Network (EMAHSN) today issued the call for proposals, with funding of up to £300,000 available for innovative projects related to the diagnosis and treatment of the disease.

The call has been issued to organisations from the NHS, third sector, social services, industry and academia, and it follows on from EMAHSN's first 'Innovation Exchange' event, which took place earlier this month.

Focusing on cancer diagnosis and treatment, the event in Nottingham on 1 December was attended by over 150 of the people who are leading the approach to address the needs of people with cancer, including representatives from the NHS, universities, patients, cancer charities and industry.

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Help for people with Bipolar Disorder: Advance Planning guide launch: life–changing and practical support for up to 1m people

Bipolar Disorder is in the top 20 causes of years lost due to illness in the world among all health conditions. It affects 1.4% of the population and lasts for the rest of the person's life. People diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder are 20 times more likely than the general public to commit suicide. In 2007 service provision costs for Bipolar Disorder and related conditions were estimated to be £1.6 billion. This is projected to increase to £2.6 billion by 2026.

People with Bipolar Disorder can make rash ill-considered decisions or become depressed and withdrawn which can impact on their lives. Advance Planning is a vital part of supporting people with Bipolar Disorder by helping them to keep control of their care when unwell, and protect their welfare, property and finances. A ground breaking, self-management guide, the first of its kind to be produced, is being launched to assist with Advance Planning for people with the condition. The production of the booklet has been funded by two East Midlands organisations: the East Midlands Academic Health Science Network (EMAHSN) and the Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care East Midlands (CLAHRC EM) and has a direct link to the latest guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). It's been created using extensive National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) funded research and with involvement from people with Bipolar Disorder, the NHS and academics led by the Spectrum Centre for Mental Health at Lancaster University; the guide has huge potential to help.

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Supporting people with mental health illness back in to work and education across the East Midlands

The 8 December will see the first step in an East Midlands wide approach to supporting people with mental health illness back in to work or education. The East Midlands Academic Health Science Network (EMAHSN) is championing and extending a widely proven scheme called Individual Placement and Support (IPS) across the region. At the first meeting of its kind in the East Midlands, EMAHSN is bringing together top mental health, commissioning and social care experts from the area to seek agreement on a joint and consistent approach which could help thousands of people.

The cost of providing health and social care for mental illness is estimated to increase from £22.5bn to £47.4bn by 2026. Not including dementia, around 8m million people live with mental illness and this is expected to be 9m by 2026. Many people want to work and have a positive impact on their own lives as well as wider society. However, people with mental illness can find it difficult to find work or stay in education.

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Recognition Awards - Outstanding Collaborative Leadership

Rachel Munton and Paul ONeill EMLA awards Nov 2014Professor Rachel Munton, Managing Director of the East Midlands Academic Health Science Network has been recognised at this year's NHS Recognition Awards. The NHS Leadership Recognition Awards celebrate leaders at all levels and across all professions. Those who have ultimately improved people's health and the public's experience of the NHS, and who we are truly proud to work alongside.

Rachel won the NHS Award for Outstanding Collaborative Leadership and will now be considered by a panel of national judges and be up against peers from across the country all hoping to be crowned national winner of their categories at the London ceremony in March 2015.

The process, which has been replicated across nine other regions includes the following categories:
  • NHS Board / Governing Body of the Year
  • NHS Innovator of the Year
  • NHS Award for Outstanding Collaborative Leadership
  • NHS Development Champion of the Year
  • NHS Inspirational of the Year
  • NHS Mentor / Coach of the Year
  • NHS Emerging Leader of the Year
  • NHS Leader of Inclusivity of the Year
  • NHS Patient Champion of the Year

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Partnership champions leadership – ground-breaking national NHS agreement signed

Leadership agreement signing Karen Lynas and Rachel MuntonThe East Midlands Academic Health Science Network (EMAHSN), NHS Leadership Academy and the East Midlands Leadership Academy (EMLA), have signed a unique national partnership agreement, embedding clear commitment and leadership in the NHS. The collaboration signals the three organisations’ shared commitment to develop leadership skills within the NHS to help champion and speed up the process of transformation and innovation, improving patient access, experience and outcomes.

The initiative will support development, not just throughout the East Midlands region, but also nationally through the EMAHSN offering system-wide support to the other 14 Academic Health Science Networks (AHSNs) across England. The agreement is a commitment to work in partnership for leadership development research and evaluation, and liaison between the AHSNs, Leadership Academy and Local Delivery Partners of the NHS Leadership Academy headed up by EMLA.

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Healthcare award winners are saving lives and improving services across the East Midlands

Healthcare organisations and universities across the region have been honoured at the inaugural East Midlands Innovation in Healthcare awards.

The seven winning entries highlight the astonishing range of innovations that are improving services and saving lives throughout the region.

The awards, launched by the East Midlands Academic Health Science Network (EMAHSN), recognise and celebrate the work of NHS, health and social care organisations to develop new - and ensure better delivery of existing - healthcare services for local people.

The winners include a tool to improve survival chances of people suffering heart attacks, a messaging service benefiting 100,000 school children and wrist bands that are reducing deaths. Over 90 entries were submitted and the finalists showcase an incredible depth of frontline innovation. The winners – who each receive £2,000 to help develop their innovation - are:

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Small Businesses Pitch for £2.5 Million Funding as SBRI Healthcare Launches New Competition

SBRI Healthcare, an NHS England funded initiative to develop innovative products that address unmet health needs, has launched the latest SBRI Healthcare competition which aims to accelerate development and NHS adoption of new technologies. In the second tranche of funding this year, a further £2.5 million is on offer to companies working in the priority healthcare areas; Brain Injury; Child and Adolescent Mental Health; Diabetic Foot Ulcers; Imaging; and Outpatient Services.

The Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) Healthcare works with leading healthcare players to identify priority areas where technology can be applied to address major healthcare challenges. The programme focuses on clearly identified NHS needs, bringing clinicians and business together at an early stage to harness the expertise of SMEs to develop effective solutions. Successful projects are fully funded through three phases of development - proof of concept, product development and delivery in the marketplace.

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