Health and care providers across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough are set to benefit from a new hub for innovation and improvement. This forms part of a national programme aimed at ensuring service users are able to experience efficient and effective healthcare technology and practice.
The independent charity, the Health Foundation, has selected Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS FT (CPFT) to look after one of four UK hubs, in collaboration with Cambridge University Hospitals NHS FT (CUH) and the Eastern Academic Health Science Network (AHSN).
The Health Foundation’s Adopting Innovation programme has awarded up to £475,000 to each hub, to help improve health and care services for over two and a half years. It aims to shape knowledge, skills and confidence within NHS providers to adopt and adapt innovations.
Hubs are thought to be centres of expertise to support provider organisations and their local health systems deliver the needs of those within the community. This is hoped to have a positive impact on patients’ quality of life, as well as tackling health inequalities.
Tracy Dowling, Chief Executive of CPFT said: “I’m delighted that our collaborative project has been awarded funding to develop this resource for the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough health system.
“Thank you to everyone who contributed their expertise, insight and time to make the bid successful. We need to ensure we are applying the best innovations to improve lives and care as quickly as possible, working with clinical, innovation, academic and public partners.
“Our hub will coordinate an effective approach to address the most urgent health needs, as we recover from the pandemic.”
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough successfully bid for the hubs through working with patient and citizen groups in partnership with NHS trusts, carers, innovation partners, local authorities, and universities and primary care alliances, helping the development of the Integrated Care System.
Directing the hub’s activities, reviewing and adapting innovations for local use, and evaluating the programme, will be ran by a new Citizen Participation Group.
Val Moore, Chair of Healthwatch Cambridgeshire and Peterborough said: “Local people in all areas of Peterborough and Cambridgeshire will want fair access to healthcare innovations, and to know they can fit well with their lives and in their communities. The hub will help this to happen!”
Trevor Fernandes, Chair of the East of England Citizens’ Senate said: “Our members from all over the region are committed to support innovation and service change for patient benefit. Involvement in the hub will help us deliver our aspirations, and also address diversity and inequality issues to represent underserved areas and communities.”
Will Warburton, Director of Improvement at the Health Foundation, said: “This is a unique opportunity for the four innovation hubs to create change to improve patient care. It comes at a time where the NHS needs to accelerate effective uptake of new ideas to meet the challenges of delivering care to all who need it during the pandemic.”
The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough innovation hub will be developed to support all partners in the Integrated Care System, with CPFT and the trust’s Patient Participation Forum, including:
- CUH, Cambridge University Health Partners
- North West Anglia NHS FT
- Royal Papworth Hospital NHS FT
- Eastern AHSN
- The NIHR Applied Research Collaboration East of England
- Healthwatch Cambridgeshire and Peterborough
- The East of England Citizens’ Senate
- North and South Primary Care Alliances
- The University of Cambridge Institute for Manufacturing
- The University of East Anglia ImpACT Research Group
- Cambridgeshire and Peterborough CCG
- Cambridgeshire County Council and Peterborough City Council.
