NHS Norfolk and Waveney ICB has announced its inclusion in the second year of the Clinical Entrepreneur Programme Innovation Sites (InSites) programme, designed to bring together NHS provider organisations to test innovative ways of patient care and evaluate them in real-world settings.
Through the programme, the ICB seeks to explore the development of a system-wide innovation culture, innovation needs mapping and evaluation of innovations addressing population health needs.
On a wider scale, organisations taking part in the second year of InSites will aim to collaborate around key NHS needs such as reduction of waiting times for patients, support for the workforce, and creation of more capacity in the system.
From Norfolk and Waveney, associate director for research Dr Clara Yates and head of innovation Dr Tim Clarke shared hopes that the ICB’s inclusion as an InSite “will allow us to share and learn from other sites across the country as well as accelerate our work with system partners to optimise the benefits that implementing innovation can bring”.
Other organisations taking part in the second year of InSites are Alder Hey Children’s Hospital; Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust; Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Foundation Trust; Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust; Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust and King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust; and North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust. They join 10 original innovation sites from the first year of the programme, which saw collaboration in areas such as the use of AI to predict non-attendance in outpatient clinic; and the development of a virtual reality platform to provide information around procedures.
Mis and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust serves as the coordination hub for InSites, with the trust’s chief strategy and transformation officer Charlotte Williams commenting: “Our approach is not only to support and nurture the innovative spirit of colleagues within our own organisations but also to spread this and amplify the impact by sharing together across peers. We know that collaboration and knowledge exchange can be powerful catalysts for progress, and we have seen this in year one of InSites. Together with our new members, we aim to broaden and deepen benefits from working differently across the wider NHS.”
Earlier in the year, we heard from Mid and South Essex’s chief exec Matthew Hopkins as he shared his views on the digital landscape at the trust as well as hopes for the future, including their work hosting the InSites programme.
In February, we reported on the news that Norfolk and Waveney ICB plans to to develop a new service to support digitally excluded patients across the system with their repeat prescription requests; read more here.
