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News
18 August 2010
Round 4 launch
Round 4 funding has been launched and applications are invited for Innovation Sharing and Innovation Bursary awards. Applicants must follow the guidance and the deadline for entries is Friday 8 October 2010 at 4pm.
02 August 2010
InnovateNoW Event review
On Thursday 29 July 2010, TrusTECH hosted an event on behalf of NHS North West to give potential applicants to the InnovateNoW Awards advice on how to successfully complete an application, and information on the criteria and recommendations their innovations should address. The event was highly over-subscribed and we would like to thank all who attended.
For those who were unable to secure a place on the event due to the high demand, we are happy to share with you and your colleagues and teams the slides from the day. Please follow the links below:
- Francesca Cignola, Regional Innovation Fund Advisory Service (RIFAS), Overview of the Regional Innovation Funds at a National Level
- Andrew McCorkle, NHS North West , Background to and aims of the Regional Innovation Fund
- Michelle Martin , TrusTECH, Award Categories, funding, success rates, application and judging process
- Carl Peachey, TrusTECH, Navigating the InnovateNoW website and the online application system
- Joanne Thomas, TrusTECH, What makes a good/bad application and information about Round 4
- Suzanne McDonald, Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust, Experience of a previous successful applicant
We have also added some new FAQs to reflect the questions posed by delegates during the question and answer session.
If you have any questions about the above presentations, please contact us.
15 July 2010
Round 3 Innovation Sharing and Bursary winners announced
A panel of experts recently met to discuss and assess a short-list of applications from the third round of funding. From these discussions a total of 20 applications have been awarded funds for their innovations, 10 of which are Innovation Sharing Awards, the other 10 being Innovation Bursary Awards.
A short-list of Enabling Change Award applications were also assessed and a small number of these innovators have been invited to complete a stage 2 (full) application, which will be reviewed by the expert panel during July and August.
Click here for details of all winners from from rounds 1, 2 and 3.
01 July 2010
Most wanted innovation tools
NHS North West held two events in June for round 1 and round 2 winners with the aim of identifying progress to date and to share learning. Common issues were highlighted and based on this we have added useful links to a suite of tools hosted on the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement website to help you understand, develop and implement a culture of innovation in your organisation.
For a full listing, visit the links page.
29 June 2010
Event on applying to the Regional Innovation Fund
Event update: this event is now heavily oversubscribed. TrusTECH will be contacting all registrants shortly to confirm places and reserve list. However, all slides and handouts will be made available on this website after the event.
TrusTECH will host an event on behalf of NHS North West, to provide information and advice on how to apply for a Regional Innovation Fund (InnovateNoW) Award.
The half day event will be held on Thursday 29th July 2010 (9:30am - 1:30pm) in the Nowgen Centre at Manchester Royal Infirmary and refreshments and lunch will be provided.
The event will cover:
- Why the Regional Innovation Fund (RIF) has been established.
- What types of awards are available.
- How to apply for an award.
- The judging process and success rate of applications.
- What makes a good application.
PLEASE NOTE THAT THERE WILL BE NO ENABLING CHANGE AWARDS MADE IN THE NEXT ROUND (ROUND 4) OF INNOVATENOW, THEREFORE THIS EVENT WILL CONCERNTRATE ON APPLYING FOR INNOVATION SHARING AND INNOVATION BURSARY AWARDS.
Registration for the event is free, but places are limited so they will be allocated on a first-come-first-served basis.
To reserve a place, please contact Carl Peachey (carl.peachey@cmft.nhs.uk) by 22nd July 2010, giving your name, job title, organisation, e-mail address and contact phone number.
14 June 2010
Round 2 InnovateNoW Face the Dragons
Six teams of NHS Innovators from across the North West impressed a panel of “Dragons” with their flair for innovation at the Dragons’ Lair event, held at the NHS North West headquarters in Manchester.
The Dragons interrogate one of the pitchers. Left to right: Mike Farrar, Kirsten Major, Catherine Beardshaw, Mike Cheshire, Patrick Geraghty.
The Dragons*, made up of Chief Executives and Directors from NHS organisations across the North West, were awarding funding to successful pitchers to put their ideas into practice.
Amongst the ideas successful in their funding requests were: Patientrack, an early warning software system designed to alert clinical staff to changes in the early warning scores of critically ill patients; PROMS 2.0, patient reported outcome measures web-based questionnaire; Talking Leaflets, recorded information for patients that is accessible by ringing a geographical telephone number; Anticipatory Care Calendar for people with learning disabilities and dementia, and Implementation of a system-wide pathway for the management of heart failure.
Five of the six teams pitching at the event were awarded full or part funding. Two of the successful teams were pitching for Enabling Change Awards from the Regional Innovation Fund. The other three successful teams were awarded smaller amounts of funding as Trust Nominated innovations.
InnovateNoW offers funding ranging from £5,000 to £250,000 through three different award schemes. Applications must come from NHS organisations in the North West, but can include partnerships with other healthcare bodies, universities and private or volunteer sector partners from anywhere in the UK.
The InnovateNoW programme focuses on addressing the recommendations of Healthier Horizons and Clinical Pathway Groups in the region and delivering QIPP(Quality, Innovation, Productivity and Prevention) agenda.
* list of Dragons at 28th May event:
| Dragon | Position | Organisation |
|---|---|---|
| Mike Farrar | Chief Executive | NHS North West |
| Patrick Geraghty | Fund Advisor, Regional Innovation Fund Advisory Service | Young Foundation |
| Dr Steve Ryan | Medical Director | Alder Hey Children's Hospital NHS Foundation Trust |
| Catherine Beardshaw | Chief Executive | Warrington and Halton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust |
| Dr Bill Forsyth | Medical Director | Central & Eastern Cheshire PCT |
| Kirsten Major | Interim Director, Health System Development | NHS North West |
| Dr Mike Cheshire | Medical Director Consultant Physician in Geriatric and General Medicine | NHS North West & Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust |
| Gail Richards | Chief Executive | NHS Oldham |
| Sally Chisholm | Chief Executive | National Technology Adoption Centre |
| Dr Steve Ward | Medical Director | NHS Central Lancashire |
27 May 2010
Round 2 InnovateNoW Enabling Change finalists invited to Dragons' Lair
The second round Enabling Change category finalists of the InnovateNoW awards, aimed at encouraging and spreading innovative practices and services in the NHS, will be taking part in a ‘Dragons’ Lair’ event on Friday 28th May.
The event, hosted by NHS North West and managed on their behalf by TrusTECH®, will see six teams pitching to the Dragons, consisting of Chief Executive of NHS North West (Mike Farrar) NHS Executive Directors and other senior figures, for the opportunity to win funding for their ideas.
Two of the teams, made up of NHS staff, will be pitching for funds from the Enabling Change fund. These finalists were successful in a two-stage application process, and now have the opportunity to pitch for funding up to £250,000 (£50,000 per organisation involved in the innovation).
In addition to the Enabling Change pitchers, NHS North West has selected a number of proposals from other sources who can pitch for funding from a separate fund. These are known as Trust Nominated pitches.
Details of the successful pitches will be announced and available on the TrusTECH® and InnovateNoW websites in the week commencing Monday 7th June.
10 May 2010
Amount of funding available for 2010/11
There is now only two days to go before the deadline for round 3 InnovateNoW funding applications (Wednesday 12 May 2010, 4pm). For rounds 3 and 4 in 2010/2011, there is £150,000 available for Innovation Sharing Awards (up to £5k each), £450,000 available for Innovation Bursary Awards (up to £25k each), and £500,000 available for Enabling Change Awards (up to £250k each).
14 April 2010
Third round of funding opens
Applications for awards from the third round of funding from the InnovateNoW scheme are now invited and must be submitted by Wednesday 12 May 2010 at 4pm. The third round of awards will focus on addressing the recommendations of Healthier Horizons and the Clinical Pathway Groups and delivering the QIPP (quality, innovation, productivity and prevention) agenda. An additional requirement (which is new for 2010/2011) is that applications must demonstrate how they will be working across organisations (e.g. primary and secondary care, or primary and social care).
10 February 2010
Second round winners announced
Fourteen projects have won funding under the second round of the InnovateNoW Awards. Nine of these will receive an Innovation Bursary Award while the remaining five have been given an Innovation Sharing Award.
An announcement on the Enabling Change Awards - for which application is a two-stage process - will be made within the next week. Those selected to go through to the second stage will be invited to submit a full application by 31 March and pitch their ideas at a Dragons' Lair event on 28 May before a panel of senior NHS managers and business figures.
See the full list of award winners.
8 February 2010
Dragons back innovative ideas
Six NHS teams proposing innovative ways to improve healthcare services have won the funding to put their ideas into practice at a Dragons’ Lair event run by NHS North West.
They were amongst eight teams who pitched to the ‘dragons’ – a combination of senior NHS managers and business people – with the aim of winning financial backing from the £1.9m regional innovation fund for healthcare.
The 'dragons' make their decision. Pictured from left to right, are Mike Farrar, Joe Rafferty, Denis Gizzi, Steve Ward and Rowena Young
The winning ideas include a project to relieve pressure on accident and emergency units by diverting less serious cases to a community-based centre, and a way to reduce hospital admissions by patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD) through an early warning system alerting them to extreme weather and environmental hazards.
Two others relate to surgical operations. One aims to reduce the number of operations that have to be cancelled on the day by improving assessment of patents’ conditions beforehand, while another will encourage the use of a monitoring device during surgery which has the potential to reduce deaths and complications and cut the amount of time patients spend recovering in hospital afterwards.
Two other projects will benefit stroke victims – providing 24-hour access to medical expertise in the immediate aftermath of a stroke by linking hospitals with a remote network of stroke specialists able to assess patients via a broadband link, and the use of computer technology to provide enhanced speech and language therapy.
A further two ideas failed to win backing from the innovation fund but the dragons recommended that they should go ahead in some format through mainstream NHS funding. One aimed to reorganise rheumatology services, the other to promote the use of cardiac monitors by critical care doctors, rather than restrict such monitoring to heart specialists.
The event was held at the NowGen Centre in Manchester and organised by the North West NHS Innovation Hub, TrusTECH®, on behalf of NHS North West. Three of the winners had applied for an Enabling Change Award through the InnovateNoW programme, the three others were proposed by NHS North West which directs the regional innovation fund.
One of the winners, Dr Daniel Conway, said: “Taking part in the Dragon’s Lair was exciting. Being challenged by the dragons really made us think about the impact of our proposal and how to make it as effective as possible.”
Dr Richard Deed, Innovation Unit Manager, said: “We are looking for ideas that will help us achieve greater productivity and improve the quality of care. We already have a track record for innovation in the NHS across the North West. The Dragon’s Lair event aims to build on that and develop a culture of innovation and change.” See details of Enabling Change winners and other Dragons' Lair winners.
The dragons were Mike Farrar, Chief Executive of NHS North West; Rowena Young, SHA Funding Advisor with Nesta; Kirsten Major, Interim Director, Health Service Development at NHS North West; Denis Gizzi, Assistant Director of Modernisation at NHS Oldham; Judith Griffin, Chief Executive of NHS Blackburn with Darwen; Dr Bill Forsyth, Medical Director of Central & Eastern Cheshire PCT; Peter Akid, Chief Executive of the Collaborative Commercial Agency; Tony Bell, Chief Executive of Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Trust; Dr Steve Ward, Medical Director of NHS Central Lancashire; Dr Sally Bradley, Deputy Medical Director of The Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust; Joe Rafferty, Chief Executive of NHS Central Lancashire; and Alex Stevenson, Partner at Aquarius Equity Partners.
Above: Dr Ash Patel presents his case. Below: Mike Farrar, Chief Executive of NHS North West, explains the aims of the Dragons' Lair event
18 December 2009
First round winners announced
The winners of the Innovation Bursary Awards and Innovation Sharing Awards from the first round of funding have now been announced. Eleven projects have been selected to receive an Innovation Bursary Award while ten projects will receive an Innovation Sharing Award. The successful projects, together with the name of the applicant and their trust or organisation, are listed below. Applications for the first round of funding closed on 30 October.
View the full list of winners.
20 November 2009
Guide to applications is now available
A guide containing tips on what makes a good application is now available. The document has been produced in response to some of the applications submitted in the first round of funding. Click here to download a pdf version of the document.
12 November 2009
Second round of funding opens
Applications for the second round of awards in the InnovateNoW scheme have now opened and must be submitted by 4.00pm Friday 18 December 2009. As with the first round which closed on 30 October, entries for the second round will focus on long-term conditions - such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and diabetes - and end of life care. However all applications will be considered provided they comply with the awards criteria.
21 September 2009
Patients to benefit from bright ideas
Patients across the North West are set to benefit from good ideas for improving their treatment and care, thanks to a new programme asking NHS staff to share their bright ideas for boosting healthcare services.
Through the InnovateNoW programme, the NHS in the North West is asking its quarter of a million staff to suggest ways to provide even better care for patients across the region. The aim is to create long-term improvements in healthcare by encouraging the adoption of innovative services.
InnovateNoW will run over a five-year period and provide funding to help staff implement their good ideas and train other people how to use them. It is one of a series of Regional Innovation Funds set up by the Department of Health across the country.
The deadline for funding applications to InnovateNoW is 30 October 2009. It is open to any staff from NHS organisations in the North West, including hospital and primary care teams. Applicants can also be working in partnership with GP practices, health charities, universities and companies based anywhere in the UK.
Alison Tonge, the director leading the innovation programmes at NHS North West, said: “Encouraging innovation and improving quality, productivity and prevention is a key focus for the NHS. The InnovateNoW programme has been set up by NHS North West to help to work towards these goals. We have a large and highly skilled workforce in our region, and there are bound to be lots of great ideas out there that we simply haven't tapped into yet.
“We want NHS staff to suggest as broad a range of new ideas as possible. For example, they may have pioneered a new approach to end of life care which will enable more people with terminal illnesses to die at home with their loved ones rather than in hospital. Or they may have good ideas about making support for patients with chronic conditions such as lung disease or diabetes more effective.
"InnovateNoW will provide the resources to help staff implement a new and innovative way of working, a new or improved process, patient pathway or partnership that supports efficiency and enhances patient care. A little investment now can help us gain a lot in terms of improved patient care and even better value for money."
InnovateNoW is being managed by the North West NHS Innovation Hub, TrusTECH®, on behalf of NHS North West.