Manchester Innovation Hub

Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust

About the project

In Manchester, over 600,000 people are living in poverty and it ranks six out of 326 local authorities by Index of Multiple Deprivation. There are more premature deaths from cardiovascular disease, cancer and respiratory disease than any other local authority.

Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT) has developed an Innovation Hub to help improve health outcomes for the populations it serves. The aim of the Hub is to drive the implementation of health care innovation, through delivering activity across five inter-related work packages: people, process, culture, technology, and co-production and evaluation.

Key achievements

The Hub has reviewed more than 25 innovations and has provided either end-to-end project management or wrap-around services to staff interested in introducing new technologies in their areas. This support has included a review of core evidence for an innovation, initial consultation with the innovators, identification of stakeholders, liaison with information governance, and support with key performance indicators.

A framework has been developed to facilitate innovation progression, alongside a collection of documents that can be used to guide innovations as they move through each stage of development. 

A Prioritisation and Opportunities Panel has been established to identify, prioritise and progress innovation across MFT. An Incoming Innovation Portal has also been launched which enables clinicians, nurses and operational staff to propose proven innovations that address local needs and raise innovation-related enquiries. 

In November 2023, the Hub hosted a workshop to provide understanding of patient and public involvement and engagement in innovation, and subsequent workshops are being held to develop innovation principles with patients, the public and industry partners.

Key reflections and learnings

The Hub was initially established with the goal of offering comprehensive project management support to a minimum of 10 incoming innovations. However, as the Hub advanced, it became evident that each digital innovation is unique and required varying levels of support and guidance. Not all of them needed end-to-end management support; some projects only needed supplementary services. 

Aqsa Siddiqui, Manchester Innovation Hub Programme Manager, said that it is therefore important to ‘create a flexible support and advisory structure and tailor support appropriately.’

It has also been important to embrace a ‘fail fast’ approach through agile sprint methodology, as this enhances adaptability, promotes closer collaboration with hospital staff, and facilitates swift decision making for more successful digital innovation adoption. 

Sustainability and long-term vision

The Hub team will continue the focus on adopting innovation, strengthening the overall approach to fostering innovation within the organisation, and further enabling communication and engagement around innovation across MFT. 

The Hub plans to retain its programme and project manager, as having a dedicated team has enabled sustained ongoing support and engagement in innovation adoption across MFT, when there was previously limited success. A business case is being developed to support these roles.

Aqsa explains another strand of the long-term vision of the Hub: ‘To date, innovations supported by the Hub have been largely responsive – reacting to ad hoc approaches from companies and innovators. We would like to pivot to proactively identifying and progressing technologies of interest, with a focus on scoping technologies from the national agenda and active co-creation with commercial partners for technology which addresses specific local challenges.’ 

Advice for others

Aqsa advises others to focus on being adaptable: ‘Tailoring your support structures to fit the needs of each unique digital innovation optimises the resources and ensures smooth project implementation.’

She also recommends rigorously evaluating digital innovations against predefined criteria, as this helps anticipate integration challenges and ensures regulatory compliance from the start. 

Finally, she said: ‘When implementing established digital products, it’s important to acknowledge limitations with involving patients and the public. While their direct input may be restricted, seek alternative ways to maintain user-centred considerations, ensuring continued engagement throughout the implementation process.’

Contact information

For more information about this project, please contact Aqsa Siddiqui, Innovation Hub Programme Manager.