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September 2026

 

Dear colleague,

 

Our Impact Report 2026 is now online and I'm proud to reflect on another year in which collaboration and innovation have combined, with help from us, to improve health and care in the North West Coast. 

 

The report highlights the difference we can make when partners from the NHS, local government, academia, industry and the voluntary sector work together to tackle shared challenges. 

 

I hope you agree these highlights are a vivid illustration of how we can turn ideas into impacts. 

 

These achievements closely reflect the ambitions set out in our new strategy, Powering the Future of Health and Care Innovation, which places a strong emphasis on converting evidence into action, supporting economic growth and ensuring that innovation reaches the communities that stand to benefit most. 

 

That same spirit will be on display later this year when we host the North West Coast Research and Innovation Showcase. Bringing together researchers, health and care professionals and industry partners, the event will celebrate the people and projects driving improvement in our region while helping to shape the innovations of the future. 

 

I encourage you to enter and be part of the conversation. By sharing what works, we can accelerate improvement and create even greater impact for our communities.  

 

Yours, Phil

Dr Phil Jennings

Chief Executive

 

Impact Report is published

The Health Innovation North West Coast Impact Report 2026 showcases our successes in the past year and is now available on our website.

 

It highlights the progress we've made in supporting colleagues in the health and care system to deliver measurable improvements to outcomes in all our communities, while pursuing sustainable growth for our economy.

 

Highlights include:

  • a project in Lancashire that has led to a 33 per cent reduction in high-dose opioid use
  • a fuel poverty initiative that has seen a 9.8 per cent reduction in visits to GP surgeries
  • £16m of investment secured by our industry team

 

If you have any questions prompted by the Impact Report, please contact us at info@healthinnovationnwc.nhs.uk

 

 

News

Project shortlisted for HSJ award

Health Innovation North West Coast's fuel poverty project has been shortlisted for a HSJ award. 

 

The awards recognise an outstanding contribution to healthcare and lead to a place at the prestigious awards ceremony in November. The project - Targeting Fuel Poverty to Improve Respiratory Outcomes - is being delivered in partnership with NHS Cheshire and Merseyside ICB and has been shortlisted in the Data-driven Transformation category. Read more. 

 

Our fuel poverty work now features in the Health Innovation Network's collection of case studies that highlight projects that deliver measurable impacts. You can read it on their website. 

 

Showcase for health and care research and innovation

Health Innovation North West Coast is hosting the North West Coast Research and Innovation Showcase on 25 November.

 

The event will bring together researchers, healthcare professionals, industry partners, students, academics, public contributors and award-winners to share ideas, celebrate success and showcase work making a difference across the region.

 

The showcase is a streamlined event that builds on the success of our annual awards event and celebrates excellence in research and innovation in a focused afternoon session.  

 

The deadline for entries is 16 September. Read more on our website. 

 

Summit explores point-of-care testing

A conference to explore the potential of point-of-care testing (POCT) to improve health outcomes attracted senior leaders and expert contributors from across the North West and beyond. Dr Paula Cowan, NHS England North West Medical Director for Primary Care, chaired the event while Deputy Chief Scientific Officer Prof Vicki Chalker was a keynote speaker. Read more on our website. 

 

Health Innovation North returns

Health Innovation North, the conference that explores pioneering solutions that deliver improved health outcomes, returns for its third year on 22 October in Newcastle Gateshead. Hosted by the four northern health innovation networks - Yorkshire & Humber, Manchester, North West Coast and North East and North Cumbria - the event features workshops, panel sessions and guest speakers, and highlights innovative solutions to some of the healthcare system's most intractable challenges. Find out more.

 

Meet the Innovator: Dr Elle Clarke

The Health Innovation Network's latest Meet the Innovator profile is of Dr Elle Clarke, Medical Director of Heim, a software innovator with a focus on community nursing teams. Read the interview and watch the interview with Dr Clarke. 

 

 

Blogs & Podcasts

Blog: From Manchester to the Nation

Prof Ben Bridgewater, Executive Chair of the Health Innovation Network and CEO of Health Innovation Manchester, has written a blog for PoliticsHome about why health innovation partnerships matter for growth, productivity and better health. 

 

 

Events

Mindset-XR seminar and roadshow

Health Innovation Network South London is hosting a free webinar series, Mindset-XR: Exploring XR for Mental Health, bringing together innovators, NHS leaders, clinicians, educators and HR professionals to explore how Extended Reality (XR) technologies are transforming mental health and wellbeing support.

 

The series will showcase innovators, supported through the Mindset-XR Innovation Support Programme, who are developing and testing pioneering XR solutions to address a range of mental health and wellbeing challenges.

 

The four interactive sessions will explore how immersive technologies are being applied in practice. Webinar dates: 

  • 9 September - Talking Therapies (9am - 10.30am)
  • 28 September - Children and Young People (12pm - 1.30pm)
  • 19 October - Dementia and Older Adults' Wellbeing (12pm - 1.30pm)
  • 2 November - Workplace Wellbeing (12pm - 1.30pm)

Register for the full webinar series here. 

 

Getting the front door right - building better respiratory pathways

21 September, 12pm - 1pm, online

This free webinar will explore practical approaches to improving referral, triage and pathway management for sleep, breathlessness and chronic cough services. The programme is commissioned by NHS England and delivered nationally by Health Innovation Oxford and Thames Valley with delivery partners across the Network. Find out more.

 

Healthcare professionals training event

21-22 September and 19-20 October, University of Liverpool

Organised by the Civic Health Innovation Labs, this event for early career healthcare professionals aims to equip attendees with the skills and confidence to shape, evaluate, and champion new healthcare technologies. Find out more.

 

Several health literacy events take place in the coming weeks and months. They are: 

  • Health Literacy Awareness training (virtual)

22 September, 9.30am - 11.30am 

Delivered by the Health Literacy Awareness organisation, this session explores why health literacy is important for individuals and health, care and community organisations. Register here.

  • Health Literacy - train the trainer: how to effectively raise awareness about health literacy (virtual)

29 September, 1pm - 2pm 

Delivered by Health Literacy Metters, this session requires individuals to have attended the 22 September health literacy awareness session to make sure they have the foundation knowledge to make the most out of the training. Register here.

  • Health Literacy UK Conference

4 March 2027, Manchester

Registration opens soon for this event dedicated to improving the way healthcare is communicated so that people can understand and use it. Details are here.  

 

Innovation Review Panel - cardiovascular, kidney and metabolic (CVKM)

24 September, 12pm, online

Join the four Northern health innovation networks for the series of Innovation Review Panels (IRPs), spotlighting real-world innovations that are already making a difference in healthcare. 


The session will focus on cardiovascular, kidney and metabolic (CVKM) innovations that are currently being commissioned or used by NHS teams. CVKM is a key priority area and the session will appeal to cardiovascular, renal, diabetes and metabolic health clinicians, primary care, prevention and population health leads, ICB and provider leads involved in long-term condition management, and anyone interested in digital health, diagnostics and service transformation. Full details here. 

 

HETT - Health Excellence Through Technology

29-30 September, Excel, London

This is a leading event for those who want to explore how innovation can transform patient outcomes. The focus is on the latest tech trends, insights into patient outcomes, opportunities to learn from peers and becoming more effective in your role. Find out more. 

 

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