NHS Insights Prioritisation Programme
Launched in 2021, the NHS Insights Prioritisation Programme aimed to support recovery from COVID-19, build resilience, and deliver benefits to patients.
Health innovation networks collaborated with the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Applied Research Collaborations (ARCs) on various projects, leveraging each other’s unique skills and connections with system partners. Each project received a portion of £4.2 million in funding from NHS England (NHSE) and the Accelerated Access Collaborative (AAC).
These partnerships tested and evaluated innovative approaches within their local Integrated Care Systems (ICSs), focusing on four priority areas:
- Remote Consultation: Non-face-to-face discussions between clinicians and patients.
- Remote Monitoring: Utilizing technology to support home-based clinical data collection and secure sharing with clinicians.
- New Approaches to Service Delivery: Improving services, especially for those facing health inequalities in access.
- Health and Social Care Workforce Innovation: Encouraging staff to innovate in service delivery and develop new working methods.
Projects included the evaluation of Community Assessment Treatment Units for frail patients, the impact of a video intervention to reduce opioid prescribing, and the preparation of a culturally tailored online diabetes self-management programme for evaluation and scaling.
The COVID-19 pandemic acted as both a disruptor and an accelerator of innovation. By demonstrating resilience and rapid adaptability, the NHS has learned from the pandemic to future-proof its services.
Richard Stubbs, Chair of The Health Innovation Network, stated:
“The NHS Insights Prioritisation Programme has rapidly analyzed some of the most promising health and care innovations across the country in real-world settings. These findings and recommendations will help Integrated Care Systems understand how to implement these new approaches locally.”
An independent evaluation of the programme concluded that it successfully facilitated a structured approach for funding and accelerating innovations, building on previous initiatives such as the NHS Beneficial Changes Network. The programme also strengthened relationships between health innovation networks and NIHR ARCs, potentially leading to more collaborative efforts in the future.
Professor Dame Nicky Cullum, Chair of the NIHR Applied Research Collaborations, remarked:
“The collaboration between health innovation networks and NIHR ARCs has provided practical insights addressing the changing health and care needs post-pandemic. We hope this learning will aid health and care teams and benefit our communities.”
