Developing NHS Innovation

The AHSN Network is mandated by NHS England, NHS Improvement and the Office for Life Sciences to support the development, evaluation, adoption and diffusion of innovations across the NHS to improve health outcomes and support the economy.

Working collaboratively with NHS staff, partners and members across primary care, secondary care and the wider health and care sector, we identify unmet needs and facilitate the development of innovations to address these challenges.

Becky Hanna is our Programme Manager for NHS Innovations (secondary care) and chair of the Innovation Forum. Becky supports Innovation Managers within NHS Trusts across the North East and North Cumbria region to capture innovative ideas from frontline staff and turn them into novel products and services for the health and care sector. This process is known as the Innovation Pathway, with Forum members accessing tailored support from the AHSN NENC to bring frontline innovations to life. NHS staff may also present with a problem in need of a solution and we support these through our Unmet Need Challenges. The AHSN NENC is part of a vast network and endeavours to broker working relationships between the Innovation Forum and the wider AHSN NENC Ecosystem.