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June 2026

Dear colleague,

I'm delighted the Health Innovation Network has published its Prospectus for the coming year - it's an ambitious document that describes how the collective power of the health innovation networks truly delivers results.

Its principal message is that we are uniquely well placed to take forward the adoption agenda and ensure that the brilliant innovations we know exist in the healthcare ecosystem can realise their potential.

The potential is enormous, not only in terms of patient benefit but also in terms of improved productivity: the consultancy Frontier Economics put the figure at £278bn in a report published a year ago.

The Prospectus highlights our role as an innovation partner in that mission, and our latest newsletter has vivid illustrations of how we are continuing to work productively with system colleagues.

We have a news item about how we've worked with NHS Cheshire and Merseyside on a set of recommendations to successfully move from mental health services for children to services for young adults.

And we have news of how we've collaborated with 11 provider trusts in our region to embed a programme to reduce the risk of brain injury in childbirth.

Yours, Phil

Dr Phil Jennings

Chief Executive

Health Innovation Network Prospectus is published

The Health Innovation Network has published its Prospectus 2026/2027, a key document that sets out our collective ambitions, our priorities and opportunities for collaboration.

The Prospectus points out that healthcare's greatest challenge is not invention but adoption at scale, and the Network's role is to meet the challenge and deliver improved outcomes and productivity through the adoption of innovation.

Recent impact figures show that:

More than seven million patients have benefited from our national and local programmes
Our innovator support has contributed more than £4.4bn to the UK economy
Our support has created or safeguarded more than 12,600 jobs.

The Prospectus clarifies the Network's offer and sets out clearly our commissions, our capabilities and our value proposition. Please read the Prospectus on the Health Innovation Network website.

News

Steps to improve mental health services for young adults

Health Innovation North West Coast has published a report that makes recommendations about how to improve outcomes for people moving from mental health services for children to adult care. The report points out that only around a quarter of young adults move on to adult services and many are discharged to their GP who can find it difficult to support patients without input from specialist services. Read the story on our website.

Targeting brain injury in childbirth

A programme to help prevent brain injury during childbirth has been firmly embedded in the North West Coast. The initiative aims to improve care for expectant mothers by helping maternity staff to better identify signs that the baby is in distress during labour so they can react more quickly.

Health Innovation North West Coast's team has supported 11 provider trusts in our region to implement the programme. Read more on our website.

Raising awareness of heart failure

Health Innovation North West Coast joined forces with the charity Pumping Marvellous Foundation to deliver a series of events to raise awareness of heart failure. The events, part of the foundation's BEAT campaign, attracted capacity audiences of non-specialist health and care colleagues who wanted to improve their understanding of a condition that is often overlooked and misunderstood. You can read more on our website.

The Health Innovation Network has also developed a suite of practical guides to improve the heart failure pathway from early identification through to long-term management and end-of-life care. Visit the Health innovation Network website.

Momentum Accelerator launch

Health Innovation North West Coast's 2026 Momentum Accelerator is now open for applications. Whether you're developing cutting-edge medical devices or innovative digital solutions, this eight-session programme, spread over 16 weeks, provides the resources and guidance innovators need to effectively scale up. Find out more and apply by Tuesday 30 June.

Shape the future of patient safety in general practice

Registrations are now open for the fully funded GP Patient Safety Incident Response Framework (PSIRF) Programme, running from July 2026 to March 2027. Run by Health Innovation Network South London, the programme is open to GP practices, Primary Care Networks, federations and Integrated Care Boards across England, and offers practical support to help participants embed PSIRF and strengthen safety systems in primary care. Registration is open until 7 July.

Passage to India

Innovators with high-potential diagnostic solutions can apply for a place on a UK delegation to India in October to support the international growth of cutting-edge health technologies.

Delivered in partnership with the UK and India's Department of Business and Trade and Health Innovation Yorkshire & Humber, the UK-India Diagnostics Cohort 2026 will take place from 26-30 October, with visits to Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Delhi. The programme is open to organisations developing solutions in areas such as AI-enabled diagnostics, point-of-care testing, medical devices, screening, and prevention and population health.

Applications close on 30 June. Register your interest here.

Blogs & Podcasts

Podcast: Digital inclusion - why it matters now more than ever

Baroness Armstrong, Chair of the Government's Digital Inclusion Action Committee, joined Health Innovation North East and North Cumbria Chair, Dean Feathers, for a discussion on what digital inclusion means in practice, and why it matters for health, care and everyday life. Listen here.

Events

Evaluating Healthcare Innovation: Common Challenges and Practical Solutions

25 June, 1pm to 2pm, online

Evaluating healthcare innovation can be complex; getting it right is essential for successfully adopting new technologies and care models across the NHS and the wider care system. Join this practical session from Health Innovation East Midlands where the team will explore different types of evaluation, what they aim to achieve, and the challenges organisations often face when evaluating healthcare innovation. Find out more.

The Health Foundation webinar: Tackling economic inactivity - local action on mental health and employment

25 June, 12.15pm to 1.30pm, online

Lonh-term sickness is now the primary driver of economic inactivity, and mental health conditions account for a growing proportion of this trend. This presents a major challenge for local economies seeking to deliver inclusive growth, increase labour market participation, and meet workforce demand. This Health Foundation webinar will explore how places can translate national ambition into effective local action, by integrating mental health and employment support to help more people enter, remain in, and progress in work. Find out more.

Future Proofing Northern Prevention Research

1 July, 10am-3pm, Citylabs 1.0, Manchester

This cross-sector event brings together leaders from health, research and industry to explore how the North can accelerate prevention, tackle health inequalities and drive collaboration. Find out more.

ClimbUK: festival of business growth

1-2 July, Leeds Dock, Leeds.

ClimbUK brings together ambition, insight, and opportunity. It's an event where founders pitch to the right people, investors discover what's next, and SMEs unlock new ways to scale. Find out more.

Innovation Insights: Making room for innovation: A practical model for de-implementing previous ways of working

7 July, 11am-12pm, online

Connect with some of the North's most dynamic hi-tech entrepreneurs, corporates, universities, support organisations and funding and professional communities. Find out more.

Bionow neuroscience conference

9 July, 8.30am to 4.30pm, Sheffield town hall

The conference brings together academics, clinicians and industry leaders to explore breakthroughs in the discovery, development and delivery of treatments for neurological diseases. Find out more.

Bionow Business Pitching

14 July, 9am to 11am, Sci-Tech Daresbury

The dynamic business pitching event aims to bring the life science and biomedical sectors together. Find out more.

International Festival of Public Health 2026

14 July, University of Manchester

The festival provides an inclusive platform for the public, researchers, students and professionals working in public health to share ideas for developing services, research and teaching. This year's festival has five main themes: Global Public Health, Commercial Determinants of Health, Research Inclusion, AI and Public Health and Women's Health. Find out more.

Fuel poverty and respiratory disease: breaking the cycle webinar

14 July, 12pm to 1.15pm

Cold, damp and poorly insulated homes continue to contribute to poor respiratory health, worsening existing conditions and increasing demand on health services. This webinar explores how Liverpool Community Respiratory Team and its partners have transformed respiratory care by combing virtual wards, population health management and cross-sector collaboration to deliver sustainable. Find out more.

Mindset-XR webinar

30 July, 12pm to 1pm

Our partners at Health Innovation Network South London are hosting a webinar entitled Navigating ethics approval: Principles, processes and practical application. Sean O'Connor PhD, Cluster Innovation Lead for Health Innovation Research Alliance Northern Ireland (HIRANI), leads a session to demystify the ethics approval process. Register here.

www.healthinnovationnwc.nhs.uk

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