Supported by NHS England and coordinated by Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust, the NHS InSites programme focuses on testing new and innovative approaches to patient care, evaluating them in real-world settings, and preparing healthcare organisations and staff to quickly adopt these solutions, while also encouraging an innovation culture at the participating Trusts.
Last year the programme received numerous impressive submissions, and the decision panel considered the quality of applications, geographic spread and a complementary mix of healthcare settings for the new cohort in 2024.
CPFT’s winning bid was led by Clinical Innovation Delivery Lead Emily Faulkner (pictured), who said:
“It’s fantastic to be selected for this programme to give our staff the commercial skills, knowledge and experience needed to successfully develop and spread innovation to directly benefit our patients. As an InSite, we are already working closely with system partners to ensure that all NHS staff have opportunities to learn about innovation and develop their skills and bright ideas into technology to improve local health services and care.”
This year, CPFT is gearing up to offer an exciting range of support including education, mentoring, networking, with access to exclusive opportunities, expertise, and resources to support innovation in the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough health system.
CPFT Medical Director Dr Cathy Walsh said: “This is a great development for the Trust, progressing our strategic ambition to be a system leader in innovation and research. Congratulations to Emily and the team for putting together a winning bid to be part of a major national innovation programme, which will ensure that NHS staff and people served by our local health system can benefit from the latest proven technologies and solutions to transform care.”
A range of pioneering solutions have been trialled in the first year of the programme, including using artificial intelligence to predict non-attendance in outpatient clinics, developing a virtual reality platform that provides information and support to children and their families before, during and after procedures, and testing a community-based lifestyle programme for diabetic patients to reduce medications.
Now for the second year of the programme in 2024, participating organisations will be collaborating to address their key needs to reduce waiting times for patients, create more capacity in the system and support the NHS workforce.
Jana Schulte, InSites Portfolio Director said: “I am excited to welcome CPFT to our InSites programme as one of eight new members who share our passion for driving change in their organisation and across the system. Innovation and sharing knowledge is key to overcoming health challenges, supporting our staff and providing the best care for our patients.”
Find out more about the programme and innovation support for the NHS:
