A new report demonstrates how Academic Health Science Networks are bringing benefits to patients and the NHS. The AHSN Network Impact Report 2017 highlights collective achievements of England’s 15 AHSNs since their formation in 2013 which are helping the NHS meet the challenges of 21st century health and care.
Read "Report highlights impact of Academic Health Science Networks"
Both a prestigious medical publication and an American conference have shown that an online rehabilitation tool for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is as effective as face-to-face rehabilitation programmes at improving patients’ exercise capacity and symptom control. MyPR is part of the larger MyCOPD software app, and is the first to be supported in the UK by the NHS's Innovation and Technology Tariff (ITT).
Read "Evidence shows that ITT-supported app compares favourably with face-to-face rehabilitation"
The largest delegation of UK healthcare companies took part in this year’s China Medical Equipment Fair (CMEF), waving the British flag for innovation in China. The companies, ranging from small start-ups to large SMEs, exhibited their pioneering range of medical technologies on the UK Pavilion, in a bid to forge stronger relationships with the Asia-Pacific region.
A Wolverhampton care home is about to embark on the second phase of using Safety Crosses following a successful year in helping to reduce the number of falls. As part of the SPACE programme, supported by the West Midlands Patient Safety Collaborative, care homes have started to use Safety Crosses on a monthly basis to help record the number of falls and pressure injuries.
Read "Wolverhampton care home uses Safety Crosses to drive improvement"
The SCRIPT eLearning toolkit for nurses provides free training around drug safety and medicine optimisation, which remains a crucial issue within patient safety. SCRIPT aims to improve nurses’ knowledge and confidence in all aspects of medication management. It is freely available to all qualified NHS nurses within the West Midlands, and is also being trialled by several trusts elsewhere in the UK, as well as two nursing schools.
Read "Medication e-learning for nurses aims to improve patient safety"
NHS Clinical Commissioners (NHSCC) and the AHSNs have launched a new joint report that shows how collaboration between clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) and AHSNs is bringing positive benefits to local patients and populations. In their continuing efforts to achieve the best for patients, CCGs are tapping in to the support and expertise AHSNs can offer.
Read "Report highlights benefits of collaboration between CCGs and AHSNs"
As the Patient Safety Collaboratives programme moves into its third year, WMAHSN staff joined colleagues from across the country to celebrate successes with a major event at the Emirates Stadium in London on Tuesday 23 May. Also launched at the event was A commitment to act, the PSCs' impact report for 2016/17, demonstrating how working collaboratively can achieve great results in patient safety which spread beyond regional boundaries.
Read "Patient safety experts gather to share expertise and launch impact report"
The Good Things Foundation (GTF) has recently been commissioned by NHS Digital to begin a second phase of the national NHS Widening Digital Participation programme. GTF is targeting areas of high digital and health exclusion, but spreading pathfinders across all four NHS regions and working with Online Centres and CCGs to build partnerships.
Read "CCGs sought as pathfinders to widen digital inclusion in health and social care"
A national health seminar focusing on the challenges facing maternity services was held at Austin Court, Birmingham on 11 May. Delegates from across England attended the one day event, jointly hosted by the Clinical Human Factors Group and West Midlands Patient Safety Collaborative (part of the West Midlands Academic Health Science Network).
Read "Maternity services at the heart of a nationwide seminar "
A student-led society at Keele University which brings together medical, nursing, healthcare science and education students who all want to work with children in the future or want to volunteer their time to the local community - with WMAHSN support - are jubilant after scooping a national award recently.
Read "WMAHSN-supported health students' group scoops national award "
The Daily Telegraph's Business Reporter has interviewed Giovanna Forte, CEO and Co-Founder of Forte Medical, who in a video discusses the benefits and savings associated with the company's Peezy Midstream urine collection device. Peezy Midstream is one of the innovations on Meridian, our health innovation exchange, and the company has been supported by WMAHSN.
Read "Meridian innovation Peezy Midstream showcased in Daily Telegraph video"
Starting on Monday 22 May, the Genomics Education Programme (GEP)’s online course explores the ins and outs of whole genome sequencing and features interviews with leading scientists and medics working at the forefront of this new technology. Led by Dr Anneke Seller, the GEP’s Scientific Director, the course has been developed to give learners an insight into how whole genome sequencing works as well as its varied uses within healthcare.
Read "Explore Whole Genome Sequencing with online course starting on 22 May"
The West Midlands Genomic Medicine Centre (WMGMC) has appointed Insignia Medical Systems to provide an ambitious region-wide image sharing solution to support delivery of the pioneering 100,000 Genomes Project. Working with all 17 partner trusts, UK-based Insignia will provide their industry-leading InSight Sharing Service to deliver real-time regional clinical viewing of images.
Read "Regional image sharing to support 100,000 Genomes Project in West Midlands"
WMAHSN Serendip Digital Health Quarter start-up Kaido has been announced as one of just three West Midlands businesses to top this year’s global Digital Leaders DL100 list. Digital Leaders is a global initiative for promoting effective, long-term digital transformation across government and industries, with the DL100 list highlighting the leading champions of digital transformation across all sectors.
If you would like to improve prevention and treatment options for people who are at risk or suffer from chronic diseases, and learn to develop meaningful solutions, apply for euVENTION, the EIT Health Summer School and Marsilius Academy 2017. euVENTION’s goal is to provide graduates, PhD students and young professionals the opportunity to improve prevention and treatment options for people who are at risk or have chronic diseases. It uniquely covers all the necessary steps and tools to create your own startup.
Read "Apply now for EU summer school to improve prevention and treatment of chronic diseases"
Clinical professionals from across the West Midlands region have converged at Aston Villa Football Club to look at innovative ways in preventing/managing diabetes and cardiovascular disease (CVD).
The Aston Programme for Small Business Growth has been developed to support early stage business leaders, to achieve sustainable growth through a series of workshops, one-to-one support and networking. It is fully funded by Aston University and the European Regional Development Fund.
Read "Grow your business with Aston Programme for Small Business Growth"
Tammy Holmes, Innovation and Adoption Programme Manager for the WMAHSN, has talked to leading crowdsourcing software developers Qmarkets in an online blog about the changes in England's healthcare industry, the challenges in implementing innovation in the NHS and how Meridian has helped the WMAHSN effectively manage and implement evidence-based innovations to improve health and create wealth.
Read "WMAHSN's Innovation and Adoption Programme Manager mulls over all things Meridian"
The Scientific Foundation Board (SFB) is the charitable funding body of the Royal College of GPs. It awards grants for research projects whose findings will be of direct relevance to the care of patients in the general practice setting. The SFB is now looking to recruit two new members (an academic GP and a non-clinical health service researcher) to join the Board in late 2017 or early 2018.
Read "RCGP's Scientific Foundation Board seeks two new members"
Guidance for NHS organisations in procuring and implementing the innovations under the Innovation and Technology Tariff (ITT) has been published recently. In addition, the Implementation Toolkits for the four NIA innovations which meet the Tariff’s themed specs (Episcissors-60, Non-Injectable Arterial Connector, PneuX, myCOPD) have been updated, and an additional Toolkit for AliveCor’s Kardia has been created.
Read "Innovation and Technology Tariff technical notes and implementation toolkits now available"
WMAHSN is partnering with Connected Local Government Live, which is bringing together innovators across local public services in a ‘festival of thinking and events about a devolved and digitally enabled future’ on 28 and 29 June. A ticket (discounted for WMAHSN members) will entitle you to attend the showcase along with a range of other workshops, briefings and masterclasses related to digital innovation across public services.
Read "WMAHSN members offered early bird discounts for Connected Local Government Live 2017"
BOC Healthcare has teamed up with my mhealth Ltd to begin delivering myCOPD within their NHS community-based pulmonary rehabilitation services. myCOPD is one of the specified cost-saving, outcomes-based innovations available to procure via central funding via the new Innovation and Technology Tariff and was the only approved app available when the NHS Digital Apps Library unveiled its list of certified mobile health apps on 10 April 2017.
Read "BOC Healthcare going digital with Innovation and Technology Tariff option myCOPD"
Can we increase reporting of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) by recruiting champions to promote the Yellow Card Scheme more widely across the West Midlands? The regional Yellow Card Centre is using WMAHSN's Meridian health innovation exchange to recruit volunteer champions in primary care and patient groups to find out.
Read "Adverse Drug Reactions Champions in primary care and patient groups being sought"
On 27 June at Warwick Racecourse, West Midlands and Oxford AHSNs are bringing together NHS urgent and emergency care directors and specialists, commissioners, medical and nursing directors, Sustainability and Transformation Partnership (STP) leads, NHS transformation and improvement leads, out of hours care providers, general practice, ambulance trusts and other AHSNs to examine NHS England's priorities for transforming services.
Read "Using diagnostics to enable new models of urgent and emergency care event"
A Worcestershire great-grandmother, a young Star Wars fan and a Paralympic sprinter are just a few of the people benefitting from revolutionary goggles - the company behind which are being supported by WMAHSN – which featured in this week’s Sunday Times.
Read "Revolutionary sight-giving goggles supported by WMAHSN garners national coverage"
Following initial sessions in March, NHS England has organised further webinars to explain the new Innovation and Technology Tariff, which went live on 1 April. The sessions are aimed at senior and strategic NHS decision makers including CCG and trust procurement leads, medical and clinical directors/leads, nursing directors, transformation leads, STP leads and directors of surgical services.
Read "Webinars on the Innovation and Technology Tariff this month"
The WMAHSN is delighted to see the official announcement of the launch of the Body Volume Imaging (BVI) Pro app, a revolutionary alternative to the use of the Body Mass Index in healthcare. WMAHSN, along with Medilink, was involved in setting up the initial research and development of BVI in 2007/2008 with HEFT, and the WMAHSN has continued to support the development of BVI since then through the Meridian platform, with West Midlands-based Health Exchange trialling the app with their stakeholders.
Read "WMAHSN-supported app to revolutionise fat measurement is launched"