Hi all, thank you for taking the time to read this post. My name is Chloe Blewitt and I am a Project Manager at Health Innovation North East and North Cumbria specialising in supporting innovators throughout the Innovation Pathway and driving the Economic Growth agenda.
Who are Health Innovation North East and North Cumbria?
Health Innovation North East and North Cumbria (HI NENC) operates across the region to support innovation in all its forms, improve population health across the NHS, and support Economic Growth. We are 1 of 15 networks across England and collaborate with the other Health Innovation Networks. The collaborative work that we do allows nationally important innovation to be visible and accessible to the NHS.
What do we do?
As a trusted broker across the healthcare system, HI NENC works closely with the NENC Integrated Care System (ICS) and our Member Organisations, including NHS Trusts and Universities across the NENC region. We assist these organisations in identifying, adopting, and disseminating transformative innovation. It can be tough to navigate the NHS landscape and to develop an innovation, so we also help industry partners access expertise, to support them through the process of progressing their innovation. This is crucial to the development, testing and deployment of products and services that are the basis of the UK’s Life Sciences sector and ensures implementation of warranted innovations.
The Innovation Pathway
HI NENC developed the Innovation Pathway to articulate the bespoke services that can be provided to NHS organisations and industry partners. The Innovation Pathway breaks down the journey of an innovation and the support offered at each stage by both internal HI NENC functions and support offered via the wider North East health ecosystem. It is also a useful tool to show where an innovation sits and the work that needs to be done to progress it through the pathway.
You can find out more about the Innovation Pathway here: https://innovationpathway.healthinnovationnenc.org.uk/
Our Involvement in the Tees Valley Innovation Challenge Programme
HI NENC Programme Manager, Dr Raasti Naseem and I are involved in the Tees Valley Innovation Challenge Programme. We are leading on the healthcare strand and working with Tees Valley NHS Trusts to identify the health challenges they are facing. SMEs will be able to assist with these challenges and build relationships with the NHS Trusts to co-create new products or services. SMEs could also be eligible to receive between £1,000-£10,000 in grant funding to develop innovative solutions. In addition, HI NENC can provide one-to-one innovator support. To access support via the programme, you must be a small or medium sized business based in Tees Valley (Darlington, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar & Cleveland or Stockton-on-Tees).
The Tees Valley Innovation Challenge is delivered by Edge Innovation Ltd and Health Innovation North East and North Cumbria on behalf of the Tees Valley Mayor and Combined Authority, and the Tees Valley Business Board.
You can find more information about the Tees Valley Innovation Challenge Programme here: https://teesvalley-ca.gov.uk/business/innovation-challenge/
You can sign up for Innovation Support here: https://ed-ge.notion.site/Business-Support-form-Tees-Valley-Innovation-Challenge-142f345ac23842298b7fce69d1937f0e?pvs=4
Our Involvement in the Tees Valley Innovation Challenge Programme
We previously supported the Tees Valley Business Challenge, the precursor to the Innovation Challenge Programme, in 2022/3. Dr Sean Gill, a Programme Manager at HI NENC, worked with North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust on a challenge that required a new design approach. North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust provides services to more than 400,000 people living in Stockton-on-Tees, Hartlepool, East Durham, and parts of Sedgefield as an integrated hospital and community services organisation. The trust required an innovation that allowed them to discreetly transport patients that have passed.
The trust stated they needed to improve the way they transfer deceased people through the hospital; when a patient passed away, the trust would transfer the body from the ward to the mortuary through the trust premises. This could cause anxiety and stress among patients, visitors, and staff. Furthermore, patients who shared the same ward where death happens also witnessed an indiscreet mortuary trolley which could cause stress for patients on the ward and their family members and visitors. The sight of a body being removed can inflict extra emotional damage which impacts mental health, whilst the trolley that is used for transfer purposes didn’t provide a discreet and dignified journey for the loved one who had passed.
Initially, three companies in the Tees Valley region successfully made it through to Stage One of the application process and were invited to tour the facilities at North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust. During this tour, teams could review the current mortuary trolley in use, better understand the challenges with the trolley and ask any questions to help shape their design concept. All three companies submitted their trolley designs, and Cohda Design was awarded further funding by Tees Valley Business Challenge to progress their innovation. Cohda Design created “The Sanctuary Trolley” which is based around a telescopic exoskeleton frame allowing it to be aligned with a hospital bed enabling easier transfer of a patient. The trolley has vertical sliding doors that can be independently controlled and provide dignity to a deceased person due to the screening barrier. Cohda Design states “the process of use is far more efficient, respectful and discrete, decreasing the number of movements, intrusion to the deceased and reducing the time from ward to mortuary”. HI NENC provided support to develop and commercialise the product such as providing access to Intellectual Property (IP) support, market entry and competitor analysis, networking opportunities, assistance with prototyping, and providing an evaluation to facilitate future adoption and spread.
“The Sanctuary Trolley” will allow patients who have passed to be transported in a more dignified manner. The discreet trolley also means that there will be less anxiety amongst patients, staff, family members and visitors when seeing a trolley travelling through the hospital to the mortuary.
How can we help you?
Innovators from all backgrounds and sectors can access the expertise of HI NENC. We can support you in building on your innovation and, where appropriate, growing your business. By bridging the gap between the healthcare sector and innovative businesses, we’re committed to fostering meaningful advancements that benefit the NHS and drive economic growth in our region.
Our team is dedicated to guiding you through the Innovation Pathway, providing the expertise and resources needed to turn concepts into reality. If you’re an innovator seeking support to bring your ideas to life or a business looking to make a difference in the healthcare space, we’re here to help.
Feel free to reach out to us at enquiries@healthinnovationnenc.org.uk to explore how we can collaborate and achieve great things together.
Thank you for taking the time to learn about the impactful work we're doing at Health Innovation North East and North Cumbria. Let’s continue to innovate, improve healthcare, and build a brighter future for all.
Regards,
Chloe Blewitt
Project Manager, Health Innovation North East and North Cumbria