Economic impact review

Philippa Darnton

Director of Insight

Philippa Darnton is Director of Insight at Health Innovation Wessex. She has over 30 years’ experience in the NHS and academia. From her early career as an Allied Health Professional (SLT), she has taken her passions for improving patient care and innovation into roles in strategic planning, operational, service improvement and commissioning.

She joined Health Innovation Wessex in 2015 to lead programmes in evaluation, spread and adoption, pivoting support during the pandemic to rapidly capture learning from front line clinicians and managers through an innovative Rapid Insight approach. Having led a team to deliver over 100 independent evaluations of innovations in health care including digital solutions, her work has contributed critical insights to enable decisions about what innovation benefits patients and our health and care systems and how to implement it. Her large-scale improvement work has included programmes in stroke care, cardiac services and neuro-rehabilitation.

She has a Master's qualification in management from Warwick University, which equips her to manage a house build, two teenage boys and a young cocker spaniel.

Emmanuel Defever

Qualitative Evaluation Programme Coordinator

Dr Emmanuel Defever is a health and care service evaluator, working with Health Innovation Wessex as a Programme Co-ordinator for the Insight team. He enjoys using his analytical and interpretive skills to explore how implementing different ways of working impact patients, staff and other stakeholders. He has a special interest in mixed method approach to explore 'what works for who, how and why.'

He trained as a physiotherapist and his career has evolved from clinical to research and evaluation role. He worked in a range of settings including acute, community and mental health services. Driven by the natural desire to learn, he completed his PhD and continues to directly connect with people from all walks of life who access or serve in the health and care sector.

He is blessed with a lovely wife, energetic children and a joyful pony. As a family, they all enjoy going to the stable, pony shows, camping, cycling, and often a cheeky picnic come rain or shine!

Sophie Barton

Advanced Analyst

Sophie joined the Insight Team as Advanced Data Analyst in 2019 and has over a decade of experience working in the NHS. She holds a Master’s degree and worked for the Isle of Wight NHS Trust and the South, Central and West Commissioning Support Unit prior to joining HIW.

Her expertise lies in hospital data sets, where she specialises in transforming complex data into actionable insights that support healthcare planning and delivery. Beyond her professional life, she is a mother of two young children who enjoys spending time outdoors with her family. She is driven by a commitment to making a meaningful impact through data.

Jackie Chandler

Evaluation Programme Manager (Qualitative)

Jackie joined Health Innovation Wessex in 2019 as a Programme Manager and specialises in qualitative evaluations. These cover evaluating the implementation of digital solutions, service transformation projects and systems-based evaluations in integrated care systems.

Following a career in general and mental health nursing in the NHS and voluntary sector she moved into health research, where she worked with the Royal College of Nursing and the then National Institute for Clinical Excellence developing guidelines. Jackie previously worked on multi method trials in NHS settings with an emphasis on using qualitative methods in process evaluations. Jackie worked for the international organisation Cochrane for evidence synthesis (systematic reviews of studies) and is an associate editor of their Handbook. Her PhD used complex systems theory to better understand implementation of evidence-based care in healthcare settings, a focus of interest at HIW.

Outside work, Jackie practises yoga and is learning to play the harp.

Andrew Sibley

Evaluation Programme Manager (Mixed Methods)

Andrew joined Health Innovation Wessex in 2018 and is an Evaluation Programme Manager in the Insight team. Before this, he worked in academia as a mixed methods Senior Research Fellow, holding roles at King's College London and the University of Southampton. He has also worked in a research capacity directly for NHS and local authority organisations.

Andrew brings a wide range of expertise in using advanced quantitative and qualitative methods to support real-world evaluations of innovation. His research interests include the application of implementation theories/models/frameworks to support innovation adoption, evaluation of new care models and new roles to support long-term conditions, and medicines management.

What drives his work is a deep commitment to improving patient care and promoting proven innovation to improve health services. Andrew is passionate about bridging the gap between research and evaluation approaches to benefit the real world assessment of innovation.

Outside of work, he enjoys running, badminton, and travelling the world with his family.

Julia Wilson

Evaluation Programme Coordinator

Julia is a mixed-method researcher and project manager passionate about transforming healthcare through innovation. She currently works as an Evaluation Programme Co-ordinator at Health Innovation Wessex, supporting real-world evaluations aiding the adoption of innovations across the NHS. Her expertise spans across developing and integrating digital AI products, health behavioural science and mixed-method research.

Julia brings over seven years of experience managing and supporting complex academic and clinical projects, with a strong track record at organisations like Sacher AI, Allurion Technologies, University Hospitals Plymouth and the University of Plymouth. With a background in healthcare innovation and a portfolio of published research, Julia is driven by a commitment to improving patient outcomes and empowering communities.

Outside of work, she enjoys hiking, golfing, and exploring the intersection of technology and wellbeing.