INNOVATION


Also encourage conversations within, and even between teams, to raise awareness of innovation and creative thought, and energise the workforce to think of better ways of undertaking day-to-day tasks; all with an aim to improve services, create better quality patient care and improve efficiencies. Another suggestion is to designate innovation champions as this helps raise awareness, and influences people to come together to support the cause, and inspire colleagues. There are more ways to ignite a creative spark; here are a few suggestions:


Training days, visits, workshops and events


Many national, regional and local events showcase innovations. Identify those in the local area as a starting point; it presents a great opportunity to learn more about healthcare innovation and meet others with a likeminded interest. Training days and workshops help teams focus more on creativity, how to work differently, and how to build innovative thought. These type of sessions are good to highlight the different aspects of getting products to market, and provide staff with an insight into skills which are not normally part of their job, but a crucial part of the innovation lifecycle such as: research; finance; support; confidentiality and protection; testing and so on. Visits to other Trusts trialling innovations encourages knowledge-sharing and fact- finding. Take this a step further and think beyond the NHS to find out what other sectors could offer. Visits to the commercial sector, for instance, may encourage the transfer of ideas and best practice not commonly used in a healthcare setting. A number of awards celebrate innovation in the NHS, so when the time is right, it is advisable to research relevant awards and put the Trust, the inventor, or the invention forward as an example of best practice. This recognises and rewards the hard work of everyone involved. Building on this concept, individual NHS organisations sometimes hold events to recognise and celebrate improvements, and value staff have brought. Again, this is an effective way to commend progress and share news.


Trusts that employ individuals who develop innovative ideas benefit by securing better ways of working, and improving quality and productivity, which also leads to all-important cost-savings.


Resources


The right tools make a huge difference, and easy access to different types of resources is important. Trustech for instance has developed a ‘First steps for innovation’ toolkit which guides staff through the early innovation process, and many healthcare professionals about to embark on the innovation journey turn to this as one of the first ports of call. Practical guidance is invaluable, and there are other sources of help and advice to consider: videos, links to other organisations’ websites, social media, leaflets, brochures, and so on. Access to industry publications and journals also provide an excellent source of material, particularly on the latest developments. Remind staff to join any panels that discuss innovation as this can open up new contacts. Make the best use of internal communication such as newsletters, bulletins, or intranets which are invaluable tools to distribute and share information, as well as helping towards staff engagement.


Innovation clinics


Hosting innovation clinics on-site for staff to drop in and meet specialists for advice and support is a constructive way to help staff understand the issues and answer any questions. Experts can mentor people to change the way they think, and develop problem solving skills to enable individuals to come up with their own solutions to current issues. It is also a good place to develop a roadmap of the processes involved in innovation so that staff can very clearly see the key areas to consider.


Interest groups and networks Discover what formal and informal interest


groups and networks are available, or even form one yourself to bring everyone together; people can exchange learning and share information, ideas and best practice, and meet with others. Interest groups may be local or at a national level, and as it brings together people from different working areas, it provides an opportunity to look at things differently. The added benefit is that groups often welcome people across all geographies and levels within the NHS, from junior doctors to senior leaders, and indeed even patients.


Developing knowledge sharing beyond the NHS remains important. Some organisations, such as Trustech for instance, can bridge the divide between the NHS, the commercial sector and academia to nurture relationships that otherwise may prove difficult to establish from scratch.


Competitions and surveys


Ensure everyone is spurred on to raise ideas no matter how big, small, simple or complex; competitions are an effective way to drive idea generation in teams and help spot new ideas. This encourages risk-taking too by giving people, who otherwise may not feel comfortable sharing their thoughts, an opportunity to step forward with their ideas, stopping new ideas slipping through the net. A practical way to achieve this is to aim to generate at least 10 new ideas as part of the team meeting, and perhaps vote for the best ideas at the end. National competitions that encourage frontline innovations in the NHS such as The Innovation Challenge run by NHS England are another route to consider. Equally, surveys are a quick and easy channel to discover staff views on different aspects of innovation. Not only is this effective at gaining ideas, and understanding challenges faced by frontline staff, it provides staff with an opportunity to be part of any changes, put their perspective forward and indeed influence the direction of plans.


Frontline innovations Dr Sarah Haynes OCTOBER 2016 Dr Shazia Hafiz


The junior doctor: During her time as a junior doctor at Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust, Dr Shazia Hafiz, identified a problem in her day-to-day role while carry essential items. Every day Shazia, along with her colleagues, carried a large number items around, many of which they needed quick access to. The list was extensive, and significantly greater than Shazia had initially anticipated: bleeps, stethoscopes, inhalers, wipes, hand gels, mobile phone chargers,


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