NHS national spotlight on health innovation in Wessex

This week, Wessex AHSN welcomed Matt Whitty, NHS Director of Innovation, Research and Life Sciences and Chief Executive of the Accelerated Access Collaborative, and Polly Jones, Chief of Staff, Innovation, Research and Life Sciences, NHS England and NHS Improvement, to learn how we are supporting the delivery of healthcare innovation in the Wessex region and nationally.

Guests from NHS England and the Office for Life Sciences were welcomed to the Axis conference centre at Southampton Science Park on Monday 16 May. Also warmly welcomed were colleagues from our local health and care systems and from NHS England South East and South West; the Association of British HealthTech Industries and the AHSN Network. 

The visit began with a round table discussion reflecting on the changing landscape of research and the innovation ecosystem in Wessex.

Throughout the day, senior health system leaders, innovators, clinicians, researchers and patients all spoke with passion about their achievements, opportunities and challenges. Wessex AHSN’s unique position within the regional health system facilitates collaboration to support and embed innovation to benefit the region’s health and care needs. 

Matt Whitty, Chief Executive, Accelerated Access Collaborative and Director of Innovation, Research and Life Sciences, NHS England and NHS Improvement, said:  

“Through research and innovation, we can improve patient outcomes and reduce health inequalities and so it is important to celebrate and spotlight their impact as we hope to do so today. Already over 1.4 million patients have benefited from our programmes.  

Ground-breaking commercial partnerships are supporting the introduction of innovative new treatments for cardiovascular disease and cancer, and we have programmes such as the Small Business Research Initiative helping the NHS develop technologies that support the NHS’s net zero ambitions.  

It’s a great pleasure to visit Wessex AHSN and meet the teams helping get some of the NHS’s most promising healthcare innovations to patients faster.”

Tackling health inequalities and improving outcomes for patients was central to this special event. The later sessions shared how the innovation adoption programmes work closely with local experts to understand where the AHSN can best support the transformation of better care across Wessex and beyond. 

Bill Gillespie, Chief Executive Officer, Wessex AHSN, said:

“The visit has been a fantastic opportunity to showcase how we support the adoption of innovation across health and care partners in Wessex.   

Key to this is our embedded position in the local health and innovation landscape. It enables us to inform and respond to regional priorities, contribute to economic growth, and to roll out high impact, sustainable innovations and improvements to make a difference to the health of our diverse population.

We’re grateful to have had this opportunity to spend the day showcasing successful innovation face-to-face, and to share our future plans with our guests.” 

Innovations and projects featured in the showcase included:

• Dorset Innovation Hub: one of four hubs funded by the Health Foundation to accelerate the adoption of innovations

• FeNO: A test for the diagnosis and management of asthma

• GenomeKey: Rapid sepsis diagnosis using bacterial DNA

• Mult/Cath trial: Reusable catheter and continence technology for intermittent catheterisation 

• Glyconics: Innovative, non-invasive approaches to the diagnosis and monitoring of acute and chronic diseases at point of care 

• xim Lifelight: Contactless vital signs monitoring software

• Behold.ai: Transforming patient care with artificial intelligence

• S12 Solutions: Supporting the mental health crisis care pathway from point of referral for Mental Health Act assessment to admission to hospital

• Electronic Repeat Dispensing: Delivering patient-centred care and releasing capacity in primary care 

• Care home telemedicine: training and key resources for care homes in Hampshire

• Virtual wards: a national toolkit for a step-down service to support early and safe discharge from hospital for patients

• Frailty: from audits and communities of practice to new care models and national scaling

ENDS

NOTES TO EDITORS

About Academic Health Science Networks 

Academic Health Science Networks (AHSNs) are member led organisations within the NHS. There are 15 AHSNs in England, created in 2013 with the aim of bringing together health services, academia and industry to promote and support innovation to improve patient outcomes and generate economic benefits. Wessex AHSN covers Hampshire, Dorset, south Wiltshire and the Isle of Wight and feeds into both the NHS England South East and South West regional directorates.

We identify best practice in healthcare and to drive the adoption and spread of innovation for a healthier Wessex. By working in partnership with our member organisations and industry, we are uniquely placed to support the NHS in increasing its contribution to the economy. You can view our Business Plan here.

More about the NHS national visit: 

Senior representatives from NHS England and NHS Improvement and its partner organisations have been touring the 15 Academic Health Science Networks (AHSNs), learning more about how the AHSNs are contributing to the delivery of their priorities as outlined in the NHS Long Term Plan, UK Life Sciences Vision, and the NHS People Plan.

The visit schedule began in late 2021 and continues until June 2022. NHS England representatives are encouraged to see firsthand the impact delivered by AHSNs individually and collectively. 

These visits will showcase the innovations AHSNs are working on and will demonstrate how AHSNs broker and shape the innovation agenda for the NHS. 

Purpose

The purpose of the visits is to engage directly with AHSN leadership teams and industry partners to discuss and address core challenges and concerns, and the role AHSNs can play in supporting and enabling solutions. , 

As we emerge from the Covid-19 pandemic, the life science sector is playing an integral role in the recovery of NHS services. These visits are highlighting priority areas and how AHSNs are advancing the spread and adoption of evidence-based health innovations which are transforming health and social care.

Contact:

Charlotte Forder, Associate Director - Communications, email: charlotte.forder@wessexahsn.net

Kathleen McCulloch, Senior Communications Officer, email: kathleen.mcculloch@wessexahsn.net