Read how we have worked with partners across newly formed integrated care systems to support them to build the infrastructure and culture to maximise the benefits of innovation. The establishment of integrated care systems I have heard about the need to embed innovation throughout the health and care system. As care pathways are transformed across systems, it is essential that ICSs build a culture of importing and exporting what works, and that they innovate and transform in partnership with academia and industry. Academic Health Science Networks (AHSNs) should be seen as integral to that ambition (ICSs) across England has enabled services to be commissioned and run collaboratively at a system level, based on the health needs of the local population. They are designed to improve peoples care, health and wellbeing, and reduce silo working, but they also have a statutory duty to support the adoption and spread of proven innovation. In the East of England, we have been working closely with our ICSs to understand their local priorities and develop their capability and capacity for health innovation in the following ways: Innovation ambassadors Innovation ambassadors are embedded in local systems to promote and support innovative activities from within, supporting the priorities of ICSs and the local population. They support the local infrastructure to ensure that systems are innovationready and able to adopt new ways of working. They also encourage colleagues to come forward with innovative ideas and challenges to be shared with AHSN Network colleagues. This year, we co-funded roles in Suffolk and North East Essex (SNEE) and Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes (BLMK) integrated care boards (ICB), which oversee ICSs, and two within Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust. Heres what The Rt Hon Patricia Hewitt, The Hewitt Review 1 they had to say about the impact weve had Since my role has been embedded within SNEE ICB, we have identified key priorities to accelerate the prioritisation, development and uptake of innovations. We have invested in proven innovations aligned to our strategic priorities and worked with innovators to bring new technologies to the NHS, as well as successfully applying for grant funding to implement solutions locally. We have also developed a way of working with wider health care industries in partnership with Eastern AHSN. We launched C the Signs, an integrated clinical decision-support tool that uses artificial intelligence mapped with the latest clinical evidence to support GPs to identify patients at risk of cancer at the earliest stage of the disease. Eastern AHSN provided support and funding for the evaluation of the pilot, which ran across 35 GP practices and had fantastic feedback from staff (read more here). We also embedded Skin Analytics in secondarycare, which has enabled the development of the dermatology pathway using its AI medical device DERM, which can screen, assess and triage Caroline Angus, Head of Innovation at Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care Board (SNEE ICB) for skin cancer after a dermoscopic image has been taken. In partnership with the AHSN and SNEE ICS, we were able to identify cases of atrial fibrillation through a remote digital pathway that used two technologies, FibriCheck and ZioXT Patch (read more here). Together, we are also focused on using technologies including Medwise, Liberate Pro and Onkohealth to improve how we can support and educate patients and clinicians. We recognise the role that innovation can play in supporting the delivery of the NHS Green Plan and are working with Phase Change Solutions to improve cold chain security and efficiency. Knowing that these innovations had all been through Eastern AHSNs robust review process made it easier for us to identify which could be possible solutions to some of the most pressing issues we faced as a system. As we continue to collaborate in 2023 and beyond, we will be able to share the learning from our own implementation, as well as see what is working in other developing ICSs. As a physiotherapist with nearly 20 years experience in the NHS, I was excited to have the opportunity to shape this role to support the adoption and spread of innovation, starting in September 2022. We are creating a research and innovation strategy for our ICB to help achieve our aspiration of being a leading system in research and innovation. We are also planning to launch a Research and Innovation Network across our system with the support of Eastern AHSN. With Eastern AHSN, the current access to Spectra Optia Apheresis (red cell exchange) for people with sickle cell in BLMK is being reviewed. We are hoping to provide this specialist treatment in BLMK. This is so important to ensure we are reducing health inequalities something that we are very determined to achieve. Linking to the BLMK ICS priorities start well and live well, we are implementing Emma Brown, Head of Innovation for Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Integrated Care Board (BLMK ICB) MySpira this spring. MySpira is an augmented-reality training app for children with asthma. It aims to improve understanding and management of their condition. We look forward to sharing the outcomes of this pilot. Frailty and falls continue to be a priority area nationally and locally. We are planning to pilot GaitSmart technology to objectively measure mobility and provide a personalised exercise programme. We hope GaitSmart will reduce falls, improve mobility and, most importantly, help people to remain independent in their own homes for as long as possible. We are two innovation ambassadors whom Eastern AHSN co-funded within our Trust to raise the profile of innovation and facilitate a culture that empowers staff with innovative ideas. We ran a survey to understand existing staff attitudes and gather insight into the barriers they saw to innovating, which helped us know where to focus our efforts. We ran innovation cafes for staff to support their innovation journeys and created a platform for sharing ideas. We joined Eastern AHSNs Innovation Review Panel to contribute as clinicians and learn how the process worked, and to take this back to our organisation. The Trust now has a set of criteria that can be used to triage, score and prioritise ideas. Through this work, we also led a project to embed the use of interactive maps for patients across Shagufta Dalal, Deputy Clinical Quality Manager and Innovation Ambassador at Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust Susie Robertson, Service Manager for Speech and Language Therapy and Nutrition and Dietetics at Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust the Trust, with links attached to appointment letters so they can familiarise themselves before their visit. The feedback that we have received shows that, because of our work, staff have greater motivation and enthusiasm for innovation, with approximately 70% stating that they would share their ideas. Innovation doesnt happen overnight, but its exciting to see how many challenges might be met with solutions from within the Trust over the coming years and from thinking about new ways of solving everyday challenges. Following the success of the innovation ambassador roles and the head of innovation roles in SNEE and BLMK ICS, we are co-funding and have successfully appointed, a head of innovation within Cambridgeshire and Peterborough ICB, due to start in summer 2023. To find out more about the impact of Shagufta and Susies work, click here. Supporting an innovation hub across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Eastern AHSN was a key partner in a successful bid to establish the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Adopting Innovation Hub in February 2022, as part of a national programme funded by the Health Foundation until 2024. The Hub is embedded in the local health and care system to create a positive culture of innovation across the ICS workforce and support the system to adopt proven solutions. As a partner, Eastern AHSN provides a strong link to national partners, projects and innovation providers. In our first year, we are already seeing an impact, with a particular focus on addressing core drivers of health inequality: cardiovascular disease, obesity, and mental health. We collaborated with Eastern AHSN and Cambridgeshire and Peterborough ICS in a successful bid to the Innovation for Health Inequalities Programme to fund activities to optimise lipid management for patients in primary care. We will also offer ECG testing using KardiaMobile for people who present with symptoms of atrial fibrillation. By testing at their GP practice and at agreed community settings (such as food banks, places of worship and community centres), we aim to identify this potentially life-threatening condition in harder-to-reach individuals. Finally, Eastern AHSN has supported our Innovation Culture Club, which brings together local staff and innovators to provide the knowledge and skills needed to implement innovation in health and social care, and nurture a local community with an interest in innovation. In the first session, we invited Eastern AHSN colleagues to present as part of a session outlining the innovation landscape and support available across the region. Working with providers to embed proven innovations We believe that health is improved by great ideas, but great ideas only make an impact when they are put into practice. We have been working with providers across the region to help them understand the proven innovations available to them. Creating a space for medical directors to learn and share Ashley Shaw, medical director at Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: Eastern AHSNs Medical Director Masterclasses convene peers in acute, mental health and community providers from across the East of England, in a safe environment to learn, network and share best practice. This year, the meetings have covered talks on AI, communication, and quality improvement, as well as helping us keep abreast of developments in technology. Back in September, the AHSN invited some locally-based entrepreneurs to present their solutions that could really help our staff and patients. It was fascinating to see the breadth of innovation in our region and I know many of my colleagues have been able to take solutions back to their organisations for possible adoption. Embedding proven technologies in secondary care A key part of our role is working with partners across our local health and care systems to embed innovation being rolled out across England through the AHSN Network. One example of this is our support of the delivery of the NHS England MedTech Funding Mandate (MTFM) a commitment within the NHS Long Term Plan to give patients faster and more equitable access to selected NICE-approved, cost-efficient technologies. Eleven technologies are included in the programme that support a range of health conditions and patient pathways, including new tests and procedures that help diagnose diseases faster or more accurately, surgical innovations that improve experiences for patients with less-invasive operations or procedures, and new and emerging technologies that treat rarer conditions in new ways. This year, we worked with all five of our ICSs, 13 hospitals, and specialist commissioners of care to support the adoption of such innovations across our region through practical, hands-on help to implement and deliver the changes required. Eastern AHSN has really supported our approach to implementing the MedTech Funding Mandate it regularly attends our forum and provides technical advice and support on the policy, and how best to implement it locally, to ensure any changes are sustainable and affordable. Its support has made adoption so much simpler Zoe Nash, senior programme manager planned care Norfolk & Waveney ICS We have also supported the Spectra Optia Apheresis System as part of the MTFM, a product to undertake automatic red blood exchange to support people with sickle cell anaemia MTFM Spotlight: PlGF testing In 2022/23, on behalf of The AHSN Network, our team supported the rollout of PlGF testing, a new diagnostic test tool for pre-eclampsia, a serious condition that affects people who are pregnant. Now, 95% of the maternity units in our region use the test to rule out pre-eclampsia, helping doctors and midwives to quickly and easily determine the most appropriate level of care required for their patients. This could mean avoiding an unplanned stay in hospital. To find out more about all the technologies supported through the MedTech Funding Mandate, visit our website. Share this article Return to About Us If you want to understand how we work with healthcare systems, you can visit our website or contact sarah.robinson@eahsn.org for a conversation about how we can support your organisation to innovate better. Up next: An outline of the rollout of national patient safety improvement plans and successes. References 1 Hewitt, P. (2023). An independent review of integrated care systems. [Online]. Gov.uk. Last Updated: 4 April 2023. Available at: assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/ government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1148568/the-hewitt-review.pdf [Accessed 5 April 2023].