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The Innovation Exchange is a coordinated Health Innovation East Midlands approach to identify, select and support the adoption of innovations that improve our economy and patients’ lives.
We deliver a number of Innovation Exchange activities each year based on our region’s major health challenges. Themes are agreed in consultation with East Midlands Integrated Care Systems.
The Innovation Exchange has four structured elements:
We work with health and care colleagues to develop clear statements of need and identify proven solutions to existing challenges. Our Innovation scanning offer is available to all health and care organisations in the East Midlands.
Innovator support is provided by all Health Innovation Networks. There is a consistent and co-ordinated offer to innovators wherever they are identified in the system.
Our signposting activity includes communicating demand to innovators, positively encouraging an environment that allows different organisations and sectors to collaborate, adopt new ways of working, and build the resilience to take on sustainable change.
We deliver showcase events that bring health and care partners together with innovators whose products and services have the potential to address specific challenges.
Robust and comprehensive real-world validation of the efficacy, cost effectiveness and practicality of innovation based healthcare solutions is key to both the sustainability of initial deployments and their rapid adoption and spread.
We include real world validation as a key element of our overall Innovation Exchange process, supporting the establishment of real world demonstrator projects. Innovators, health and social care professionals and patient groups work together to confirm the efficacy, cost effectiveness and practicality of the innovative solution in practice.
We support the adoption and spread of innovations from Health Innovation Networks Innovation Exchange programmes that have been part of a successful real world demonstrator project across the East Midlands region and beyond, in collaboration with other Health Innovation Networks.
Innovations which have been part of successful real world demonstrators in other Health Innovation Networks and which address key needs and priorities of the East Midlands are also supported. Where appropriate, Health Innovation East Midlands will nominate successful regional programmes for nationwide adoption through the Accelerated Access Collaborative (AAC).
Health Innovation East Midlands and West Midlands jointly hosted a virtual Innovation Exchange event focused on helping people with a learning disability, who are at risk of behaviour that challenges, to avoid harm from psychotropic medicines.
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In January 2026 the Grow Digital Health Midlands programme hosted a neighbourhood health innovation showcase to launch a neighbourhood health innovation fund.
We hosted a virtual Innovation Exchange event focused on “Digital solutions to aid Adult ADHD care pathways.” Aimed at healthcare professionals and healthcare systems, this event showcased innovations which focused on supporting Adults with ADHD and the Adult ADHD assessment process.
Health Innovation East Midlands hosted an Innovation Exchange event focused on productivity – a major challenge faced by many across the NHS: reducing the administrative burden and creating time for more patient care.
On 13 March 2025 we held a virtual Innovation Exchange event focusing on cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention.
We held a virtual innovation showcase focused on the theme of NHS waiting list reduction on Thursday 14th November.
In September 2024 Health Innovation East Midlands held an Innovation Exchange on workforce and wellbeing solutions.
In April 2024 we held a Surgical Innovation Exchange event to create an opportunity for innovators and health and care audiences to hear more about the Digital Innovations that are available.
Innovation Exchange event - Digital technology to ensure patient safety and streamline operations, creating more time for care.
The primary care sector is evolving rapidly. As demands for appointments surge, finding efficient ways to manage and reduce administrative tasks becomes vital. The main objective is to ensure patient safety and streamline operations, creating more time for care.
Innovation Exchange event - Digital technology to help prevent and support children and young people who are at risk of or experiencing a mental health crisis.
NHS Midlands and NHS Midlands and Lancashire Commissioning Support unit in conjunction with the East and West Midlands AHSNs, are hosting an Innovation Exchange event on Thursday 10 November, 10:30 – 12:30.
Innovation Exchange – digital technology and innovative service approaches to increase access to and uptake of cardiac rehabilitation services
The Long Term Plan set an ambition that by 2028 the proportion of patients accessing cardiac rehabilitation will be amongst the best in Europe, with up to 85% of those eligible accessing care. A targeted fund of £7m will support local systems to work towards that ambition.
Innovation Exchange - Digital technology to support clinically led, patient focused reviews and validation of waiting lists for elective inpatient, outpatient and diagnostic services for adults and children (including specialised services).
Addressing elective care waiting lists, enabling patients to live healthier lives, is one of the NHS’ top priorities for 2021/22. Following the impact of the COVID19 pandemic, significant progress has been achieved by the NHS to meet elective targets.
Innovation Exchange - Digital technology for remote monitoring, supporting the clinician/patient relationship to improve patient access and care.
In collaboration with the West Midlands Academic Health Science Network, we hosted an innovation exchange event on 5 October 2021.
The event was an opportunity for health and care service commissioners and providers to know more about solutions and/or products that can support them with the challenges they face.
The East and West Midlands AHSNs are working collaboratively to support NHS England and NHS Improvement Midlands in responding to the LeDeR (Learning Disability Mortality Review) report.
Alongside East and West Midlands ADASS (Association of Directors of Adult Social Services) these organisations hosted an Innovation Exchange event on 14 July 2021 for health and social care professionals, to look at different approaches to managing deterioration in people with a learning disability living at home.
EMAHSN and West Midlands Academic Health Science Network conducted a collaborative Innovation Exchange in the iCentrum in Birmingham on Thursday 5 December 2019. The Innovation Exchange aimed to showcase digital innovations to address key challenges in four key areas which would support the delivery of the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) programme.
EMAHSN collaborated with Eastern Academic Health Science Network to hold an Innovation Exchange in October 2019, aimed at addressing some of the challenges that managing the NHS and wider public estate presents.
In collaboration with NHS England, the East Midlands Academic Health Science Network hosted an Innovation Exchange event on 28th February 2019 to explore digital innovation in the area of Continuing Healthcare.
EMAHSN worked with members of the East Midlands Medicines Management Group to hold an Innovation Exchange to look for solutions to the challenges the healthcare system is dealing with in relation to medicines optimisation.
EMAHSN collaborated with the National Centre for Rural Health and Care in December 2018 to hold an Innovation Exchange to address some of the challenges that rurality presents to the delivery of both health and social care.
This Innovation Exchange event was held to bring sectors together to co-produce possible solution ideas with a focus on Long Term Conditions (LTCs) and the reduction of falls amongst older people living with frailty.