We want you to think differently
The Health Foundation developed Shine, an innovation programme, to help healthcare practitioners try out their ideas in a way that can be measured and proven.
New challenges inspire new solutions
Each year Shine sets a different challenge to the UK health service. In the current financial climate, cost reductions are now a key focus for healthcare organisations.
By stimulating fresh thinking, ideas and action among healthcare professionals, the Shine challenge asks you to explore and test innovative approaches that demonstrate you can improve quality while saving costs.
The Shine challenge for 2011 is: Find new approaches to delivering healthcare that reduce the need for acute hospital care – while improving quality and saving money.
Why did the Health Foundation develop Shine?
There are lots of good ideas out there about how to improve healthcare, but good ideas only become good practice when there’s an opportunity to develop, test and gather evidence to support them.
We want to support examples of smart thinking that can improve the way healthcare is delivered.
How can Shine help?
Our Shine programme provides your team with the resources to develop and evaluate your idea. We will also help to promote successful innovations to NHS leaders and policy makers.
We’re looking to invest up to £75,000 in each of up to 18 projects. Over 12 months, teams will be supported to put their approach into practice to gather evidence about its impact and effectiveness.
What are we looking for?
Outside of the box thinking.
We're looking for new ideas, not just the adoption of good practice that has been tried elsewhere.
We want to see projects that go beyond the usual well-tried methods to improving efficiency, and instead use innovation to deliver better outcomes through different approaches to care.
You’ll need a great innovative idea combined with the ability to pull together a team with experience in innovation, change management, measurement and self-evaluation. You will need to deliver results within the 12 month period of the project.
Is there any particular area of the health service you want applications from?
No, we welcome applications from teams from across the health service, including the voluntary sector.
This year’s challenge is to reduce the need for acute hospital care. So we’re expecting applications will come from cross-sector project teams. For example, collaborations between primary, acute and /or community care.
Key dates
Shine is now open for applications.
The first stage of the process is to complete our online screening tool. This consists of a set of questions that checks the ‘fit’ of your idea against the scope and parameters of the scheme. Once the screening tool has been successfully completed, you can access the application form.
The closing date for completed applications is 12 noon, Monday 4 October 2010.
The programme is open for applications for 12 weeks, allowing enough time for people to pull together teams and develop ideas. You will need to submit a fully costed project plan as part of your application.
Information calls
We will be holding a number of Shine Challenge 2011 information calls, as well as a webinar session on how to complete the application form.
The dates and times of the calls and webinar are listed below. Please make sure you register by no later than 3.00pm the previous day.
- Registration for the Early Bird information call (21 July) has now closed
- Information call 2: Wednesday 18 August at 10.30am for one hour
- Webinar session on completing applications: Wednesday 15 September at 10.30am for one hour
- Information call 3: Monday 27 September at 2.30pm for one hour