NHS England begins two innovation schemes

NHS England has launched two schemes aimed at helping patients benefit from new technology more quickly.

It has opened up for bids for Innovation Technology Payments, to provide funds to help roll out proven innovations at scale across the NHS.

The scheme is focused on low cost technologies and aimed at removing some of the financial or procurement barriers to the take-up of medical devices and digital platforms. It will be delivered with the support of the academic health science networks.

NHS England said that over 7,000 patients have already benefitted from innovations that joined the programme earlier this year, with a further 95,000 benefitting from the previous version.

The second scheme, the NHS Innovation Accelerator, focuses on individual innovators, providing bespoke support such as mentoring.

Piorities

The ideas have to deal with at least one of the priorities, which include prevention and early diagnosis, mental health and primary care. All the innovations have to be in use in at least three NHS sites and able to demonstrate the potential for a return on investment within a year of implementation.

Since it launched in 2015, 36 innovators representing 37 innovations have been supported with an additional 1,423 NHS sites using their innovations.

Health Minister Lord O’Shaughnessy (pictured) said: “Technology has the potential to transform healthcare and we must do all we can to break down the barriers that prevent patients from accessing the best possible treatment.

“We want the NHS to lead the world in innovation to make patients safer, help more people access health services at home and make every pound go further.”

Applications are open until 28 October.

Talking to UKAuthority earlier this year, O’Shaughnessy identified a need to make it easier for NHS organisations to adopt innovations, and that a review had been commissioned to work out what could help the effort.

 Image by Chris McAndrew, CC BY 3.0