NHS accelerator launches international call for high-impact innovations to join its 2017 cohort

A NEW search for the world’s best healthcare innovations to help improve patients’ lives launches on 14 June, focussing on key NHS priorities including mental health, primary care, and urgent and emergency care. 

The NHS Innovation Accelerator (NIA) - an NHS England initiative supported by the country’s 15 Academic Health Science Networks (AHSNs) and hosted at UCLPartners - is now recruiting up to 12 Fellows representing high-impact, evidence-based innovations, sourced nationally and internationally, which address one or more of the following challenges: 

• Mental Health: To ensure that people at risk of or experiencing mental health problems can rapidly access effective and convenient care and support.
  
  
• Urgent and Emergency Care: To provide highly responsive, effective and personalised solutions for people with or at risk of developing urgent and emergency care needs.
  
  
• Primary Care: To support and strengthen primary care in its aim to ensure high levels of quality, satisfaction and timely access to diagnosis and treatment as close to home as possible.
  

The NIA aims to accelerate uptake and spread of high-impact innovations across England’s NHS. In its first 20 months, the accelerator has supported 25 Fellows to deliver uptake of innovations in 469 additional NHS organisations; with over £28M raised in external funding, 51 jobs created, 14 awards won, and ten innovations selling internationally. The third annual call, open until 26 July 2017, aims to recruit up to 12 new Fellows. These Fellows will be exceptional individuals with a passion and commitment for scaling innovation for greater patient benefit, and for sharing their learnings widely.

The call is open to local, national and international health and industry innovators, SMEs, clinicians and academics. Applicants have until midnight on 26 July 2017 to apply, with opportunities to sign up to face-to-face events and online webinars to receive additional support in the application process. 

Professor Sir Bruce Keogh, National Medical Director at NHS England and Chair of the NIA Programme Board, commented: “Through the NIA programme we have been able to match entrepreneurial endeavour with need in the NHS, and the consequence of that matching is that we have been able to show very real and tangible benefit for patients and rapid uptake of new innovations. This is something that the NHS should be really proud of.”

Liz Mear, Chair of The AHSN Network, said: “Mental health, primary care, and urgent and emergency care have been identified as national service improvement priorities in 2017-18. By focussing this year’s NIA call on global innovations that can address and support key challenges in these areas, we can ensure that as many patients, local populations and NHS staff can access these life-changing solutions.”

Last year, Wessex-based mental health innovator, Sgt Paul Jennings, successfully became a 2016 Fellow. Find out more about his ground-breaking and award-winning project, SIM, here. 

For more information and to apply, visit www.nhsaccelerator.com/apply

To find out more about the Fellows and innovations currently supported by the NIA, visit www.nhsaccelerator.com/fellows-and-innovations

Follow @NHSAccelerator on Twitter or search #NIA17call to see supporting testimonials and impact case studies from current Fellows. 

Notes: 

For more information, email Rebekah Tailor, Communications and Engagement Manager for the NHS Innovation Accelerator (NIA): rebekah.tailor@uclpartners.com

The 2017 call for the NIA launches at Confed17 on 14 June. Applications will remain open until midnight on 26 July 2017. 

The NIA is an NHS England initiative delivered in partnership with England’s 15 Academic Health Science Networks (AHSNs), and hosted at UCLPartners. For more information, visit www.ahsnnetwork.com  

The aim of the NIA is to support delivery of the Five Year Forward View - creating the conditions and cultural change necessary for proven innovations to be adopted faster and more systematically through the NHS for patient and population benefit.