Innovation Agency

One of the big challenges facing innovators in the NHS is how to get the funding and support to turn a great idea or prototype into reality.  In this podcast, two inspiring individuals talk about how they are helping innovators to realise their dreams. Professor Tony Young OBE, National Clinical Lead for Innovation NHS England and NHS Improvement and founder of the NHS Clinical Entrepreneurs Programme, joins a conversation with Lorna Green, founding chief executive of LYVA Labs, a new investment fund for health innovators in Liverpool City Region. Useful links: NHS Clinical Entrepreneurs Programme: https://nhscep.com/ LYVA Labs: https://lyvalabs.com/ Life saving sepsis innovator receives funding from LYVA Labs: https://lyvalabs.com/2022/05/24/life-saving-sepsis-innovator-secures-funding-from-lyva-labs/

Core20PLUS5 and the Innovation Agency Core20PLUS5 is a national NHS England and NHS Improvement approach to support the reduction of health inequalities at both national and system level. The approach defines a target population cohort – the ‘Core20PLUS’ – and identifies five clinical areas requiring accelerated improvement. Eileen O’Meara, Clinical Director of the NW Health Inequalities Hub explains what Core20PLUS5 is about and how it is being implemented. Andrew Cooper describes how the Innovation Agency is embedding this targeted approach in projects and programmes in the North West Coast. Find out more on the NHS England and NHS Improvement website: https://www.england.nhs.uk/about/equality/equality-hub/core20plus5/#:~:text=Core20PLUS5%20is%20a%20national%20NHS,clinical%20areas%20requiring%20accelerated%20improvement. To suggest future topics on this theme, please email Caroline.Kenyon@innovationagencynwc.nhs.uk

A shortlist of proposals for the New Hospitals Programme in Lancashire and South Cumbria has been announced. This is a significant development for the programme, which plans to develop new, cutting-edge facilities, offering the absolute best in modern healthcare and addressing significant problems with the ageing Royal Preston Hospital and Royal Lancaster Infirmary buildings. Caroline Kenyon talks to three of the people leading the programme about how they reached this important milestone – and how they are going to make the final decision on the best option for the region.   The podcast guests are:  ·       Jerry Hawker, Executive Director for the Lancashire and South Cumbria New Hospitals Programme  ·       Jane Kenny, Lead Nurse at University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust ·       Dr Somnath Kumar, Consultant Cardiologist at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Useful links A transcript of the podcast can be found here: https://newhospitals.info/news/new-podcast

New parents in Cheshire and Merseyside are being brought together with musicians to create lullabies for their babies in a creative health project which has been imported from New York’s Carnegie Hall. The Lullaby Project is being delivered by the charity Live Music Now through the Cheshire and Merseyside Women and Children’s Partnership, funded by the NHS. An online event heard from some of the mums and musicians as well as those delivering the project in New York and in Cheshire and Merseyside. This podcast covers part one of the event. Listen to the recorded lullabies on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/livemusicnowlullaby/sets/lullaby-nw?si=95744cda92ce42fca85e7846222f763b Find out more: Cheshire and Merseyside Baby Week wrap-up: https://www.improvingme.org.uk/about-us/news/cheshire-and-merseyside-baby-week-wrap-up/ Carnegie Hall Lullaby Project: https://www.carnegiehall.org/Education/Programs/Lullaby-Project Photo credit: Matt Thomas

Mums, musicians and lullabies – and the health benefits New parents in Cheshire and Merseyside are being brought together with musicians to create lullabies for their babies in a creative health project which has been imported from New York’s Carnegie Hall. The Lullaby Project is being delivered by the charity Live Music Now through the Cheshire and Merseyside Women and Children’s Partnership, funded by the NHS. An online event heard from some of the mums and musicians as well as those delivering the project in New York and in Cheshire and Merseyside. This podcast covers part two of the event.  Listen to the recorded lullabies on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/livemusicnowlullaby/sets/lullaby-nw?si=95744cda92ce42fca85e7846222f763b Find out more: Cheshire and Merseyside Baby Week wrap-up: https://www.improvingme.org.uk/about-us/news/cheshire-and-merseyside-baby-week-wrap-up/ Carnegie Hall Lullaby Project: https://www.carnegiehall.org/Education/Programs/Lullaby-Project Photo credit: Matt Thomas

It’s the biggest cause of disability and premature death in the UK yet, in some cases, early diagnosis of high blood pressure could help reduce the numbers affected.  Home blood pressure monitoring, or BP@Home, has been launched in the North West Coast and across England. The process enables patients to remotely record their blood pressure without visiting their doctor. In this edition of the podcast Caroline Kenyon talks to Jane Briers, a former specialist cardiac nurse, who is leading the blood pressure at home programme for the Innovation Agency. They're joined by Dr Jonathan Griffiths, a GP in Cheshire and clinical lead for Cheshire and Merseyside for the BP@Home project, who explains how the programme is already paying off.

As we digest the outcomes of COP26, this podcast with one of the North West’s leading academics on sustainability shares some important lessons for organisations starting on the journey to net zero. Professor John Whitton is the Director of the Research Centre for Sustainable Transitions at the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) and attended events at COP26. He talks to Caroline Kenyon about his frustration and his hopefulness following the landmark event. Find about more about the UCLan Research Centre for Sustainable Transitions on the website https://www.uclan.ac.uk/research/centres/sustainable-transitions

Familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH) is an inherited condition which can lead to extremely high cholesterol levels. It's passed down through families and without treatment, FH can lead to heart disease at a very young age. But it can be treated with medicines and a healthy lifestyle - the key is diagnosis. A pilot scheme supported by the Innovation Agency is aiming to help increase detection of FH at an early age. Dr Sue Kemsley, a GP in Cheshire, is leading the parent-child screening programme for FH and she explains how it works and the significant difference it could make.

The man who leads the organisation which won recognition at the recent NHS in the North Excellence in Supply Awards has been talking about how the innovative use of digital technology is changing lives. Health Call's systems allow care home staff to remotely monitor residents’ health, quickly identify signs of illness, and make electronic referrals to the appropriate NHS service and won the Patient Experience and overall Supplier of the Year categories. The awards celebrate inspirational collaborations between the NHS and its suppliers across the North of England. With almost 4,000 people now registered on the Digital Care Home system, the innovation has enabled more than 30,000 referrals to be made, cut community nurse visits by 30% and saved the NHS around £8 million due to a reduction in unnecessary hospital stays.  The technology has been developed by Durham County Council and the County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust, which is part of Health Call, a collaboration of seven NHS foundation trus

A care home manager and a care home owner in Lancashire share their pandemic experiences and talk about plans to improve the way information about patients flows between the NHS and social care. They are part of a programme to introduce digital systems which can be accessed by different parts of the NHS and social care, made possible with funding from NHSx. Our guests are Dawn Johnson, manager of Oaklands Nursing Home in Burnley; and Jim Page, owner of Turfcote Manor care home in Rossendale, Lancashire, who talk to the Innovation Agency’s Caroline Kenyon. The Innovation Agency Care Homes Safety Network is open to everyone working in care homes and in roles connecting with care homes. Meetings take place four times a year, promoting collaboration and co-production of new procedures in high quality care, managing deterioration and medicine safety. To join the network, please email: connie.sharrock@innovationagencynwc.nhs.uk.

The number of Blackpool mums classed as smokers when they give birth has shown a dramatic decrease. Up to 3,000 women give birth in Blackpool each year. The percentage classed as smokers once stood at 31 per cent. Now the figure is closer to 21 per cent and falling, making the resort one of the most improved areas in the country. The success is down to the efforts of a dedicated nine-strong team who work closely with expectant mums to explain the health benefits of not smoking during pregnancy on their baby. Research shared by the Innovation Agency, the Academic Health Science Network for the North West Coast, has helped provide the Blackpool team with additional insight to help mums make potentially life-changing decisions as Nigel Thompson reports.

Collaborations between NHS organisations and their suppliers have resulted in some remarkable examples of innovation as shown by the shortlist for the NHS in the North Excellence in Supply Awards. They include innovative health and wellbeing checks for health staff in York; the creation of a regional hub in the north east to supply vital PPE; the use of digital tablets to provide music for children, their families and staff at Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital; and a shop continuing to supply wigs for patients undergoing chemotherapy. Innovation has been at the heart of response to the pandemic. In his keynote speech to attendees Sir James Mackey, Chief Executive of Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust and Chair of the NHS Customer Board for Procurement and Supply, will tell the NHS in the North Excellence in Supply Awards that he hopes the spirit of collaboration and cooperation will continue. Hear his assessment of the value of procurement partnerships over the past year and his hopes

The NHS Clinical Leaders Network has published a call for action to improve the mental health resilience of frontline healthcare staff caring for patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. Its report is based on surveys, interviews and action learning sets with clinicians and managers and as well as the call for action, it includes some stark testimonies and a series of suggestions for managers and leaders to improve mental health support in the workplace.    Dr Andy Coley and Suzy Ning of the Clinical Leaders Network describe the findings and the recommended actions.   Enhancing mental health resilience and anticipating treatment provision of mental health conditions for frontline healthcare workers involved in caring for patients during the COVID-19 pandemic – A call for action: http://www.cln.nhs.uk/document_uploads/CLN-Paper-V.6.6.pdf

An emergency medicine consultant describes how he and two nurses took action in their own time to help their colleagues cope with the stress of their work.   The consultant, Dr Terry McLoughlin of Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, explains how their offer of talking therapy and on-demand yoga and meditation grew from three volunteers into an established service across two hospitals.   Terry posts about positivity and kindness on Twitter – follow him @tmcloughlin15.

An NHS leader involved in setting up one of the five Nightingale Hospitals and a mass vaccination centre, made it his mission to create a positive working culture from the start.   While the pressure was on to equip and staff two large centres, John Herring made sure there was time to agree a vision, purpose and values. He tells us why it was so important. John Herring is the Strategic Lead for Organisational Development and System Leadership at Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership. Read these blogs by John: Creating culture at speed in a crisis: https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/blog/2020/10/creating-culture-speed-crisis Race and class: Working in public service: https://odneurope.org/2018/10/01/john-herring-race-and-class-working-in-public-service/

Looking after staff has never been more important as it is during the intense pressures created by the pandemic. In this podcast we hear how one NHS trust is taking a structured approach to supporting colleagues from the earliest signs of anxiety through to post traumatic stress disorder.   Our interviewee is Nicole Williams, Deputy Director of Organisational Development at Wigan, Wrightington and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust.   This episode is one of a series focussed on improving workplace culture through the lens of wellbeing, equity and innovation.   Find out how the Innovation Agency Coaching Academy can help individuals and organisations to create the right culture, on our website: https://www.innovationagencynwc.nhs.uk/support/improvement_and_learning/coaching-academy

This is a conversation with Dr Cecil Kullu, a clinical leader in the North West who admits to an insatiable curiosity, always asking questions, exploring innovations - and believing in the power of people to help each other.    Dr Kullu FRCpsych is a Consultant Psychiatrist in Liaison Psychiatry and Deputy Medical Director for Research, Innovation and Development at Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust; Interim Chair North West Clinical Senate and previous Chair of Cheshire and Merseyside Clinical Senate.   Useful links to resources mentioned in the podcast:   Enhancing mental health resilience and anticipating treatment provision of mental health conditions for frontline healthcare workers involved in caring for patients during the COVID-19 pandemic – a call for action: http://www.cln.nhs.uk/document_uploads/CLN-Paper-V.6.6.pdf Life Matters podcasts: https://www.zerosuicidealliance.com/stories/life-matters-podcast-series Zero Suicide Alliance: https://www.zerosuicidealliance.com/ Mersey Care NHS Foundation Tr

Merseyside was at the epicentre of the UK response to COVID-19 when the country’s first quarantine centre for 50 years was set up at Arrowe Park Hospital.   It was a case of all hands on deck when different organisations as well as the local community stepped up to the challenge of providing a safe haven for their reluctant guests, returning from Wuhan.   In this podcast, recorded on Zoom, we hear from four people at the centre of setting up and running the first COVID-19 quarantine unit:   Medical director of Wirral University Teaching Hospital, Dr Nikki Stevenson GP Dr James Perry of Primary Care Wirral Wirral University Teaching Hospital head of strategic planning Mike Gibbs Public Health England senior registrar Wendi Shepherd.   You can also read this blog by Dr James Perry: https://blogs.bmj.com/bmj/2020/05/29/arrowe-park-experience-of-the-multidisciplinary-team-serving-the-uks-first-quarantine-unit-in-40-years/

Creating music can have a powerful impact on wellbeing; and in the case of Carnegie Hall’s Lullaby Project it is supporting maternal health, aiding childhood development, and strengthening the bond between parent and child.    In this podcast, recorded on Zoom, we hear from Tiffany Ortiz, Director of Early Childhood Programs for Carnegie Hall's Weill Music Institute, and musician Emily Eagen. We will also hear from Karen Irwin of UK charity Live Music Now, which is planning to be a partner in introducing the Lullaby Project to the ​North West of England; and from one of the charity’s musicians Pip Bryan, who is working with patients at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital.   To find out more about the Lullaby Project, visit https://www.carnegiehall.org/Education/Social-Impact/Lullaby-Project. Families with young children can also discover many free activities, resources, and more: carnegiehall.org/Explore/Learn/Families-and-Kids.   To find out more about Live Music Now and how to become a partner in the Live Music N

An independent report by The King's Fund author Ben Collins, titled A 'curious experiment' reflects on the challenges and successes of the Innovation Agency over the last seven years. In this podcast, Ben is joined by the founding leaders of the Innovation Agency - Dr Liz Mear and Gideon Ben-Tovim OBE, to discuss his findings.   The report can be found here: https://www.innovationagencynwc.nhs.uk/media/Resources/Publications/A%20curious%20experiment_Kings%20Fund%20report.pdf