Health Innovation North West Coast

It’s the biggest cause of disability and premature death in the UK yet, in some cases, early diagnosis of high blood pressure could help reduce the numbers affected.  Home blood pressure monitoring, or BP@Home, has been launched in the North West Coast and across England. The process enables patients to remotely record their blood pressure without visiting their doctor. In this edition of the podc...

As we digest the outcomes of COP26, this podcast with one of the North West’s leading academics on sustainability shares some important lessons for organisations starting on the journey to net zero. Professor John Whitton is the Director of the Research Centre for Sustainable Transitions at the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) and attended events at COP26. He talks to Caroline Kenyon about...

Familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH) is an inherited condition which can lead to extremely high cholesterol levels. It's passed down through families and without treatment, FH can lead to heart disease at a very young age. But it can be treated with medicines and a healthy lifestyle - the key is diagnosis. A pilot scheme supported by the Innovation Agency is aiming to help increase detection of FH...

The man who leads the organisation which won recognition at the recent NHS in the North Excellence in Supply Awards has been talking about how the innovative use of digital technology is changing lives. Health Call 's systems allow care home staff to remotely monitor residents’ health, quickly identify signs of illness, and make electronic referrals to the appropriate NHS service and won the Patie...

A care home manager and a care home owner in Lancashire share their pandemic experiences and talk about plans to improve the way information about patients flows between the NHS and social care. They are part of a programme to introduce digital systems which can be accessed by different parts of the NHS and social care, made possible with funding from NHSx. Our guests are Dawn Johnson, manager of...

The number of Blackpool mums classed as smokers when they give birth has shown a dramatic decrease. Up to 3,000 women give birth in Blackpool each year. The percentage classed as smokers once stood at 31 per cent. Now the figure is closer to 21 per cent and falling, making the resort one of the most improved areas in the country. The success is down to the efforts of a dedicated nine-strong team w...

Collaborations between NHS organisations and their suppliers have resulted in some remarkable examples of innovation as shown by the shortlist for the NHS in the North Excellence in Supply Awards. They include innovative health and wellbeing checks for health staff in York; the creation of a regional hub in the north east to supply vital PPE; the use of digital tablets to provide music for childre...

The NHS Clinical Leaders Network has published a call for action to improve the mental health resilience of frontline healthcare staff caring for patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. Its report is based on surveys, interviews and action learning sets with clinicians and managers and as well as the call for action, it includes some stark testimonies and a series of suggestions for managers and le...

An emergency medicine consultant describes how he and two nurses took action in their own time to help their colleagues cope with the stress of their work.   The consultant, Dr Terry McLoughlin of Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, explains how their offer of talking therapy and on-demand yoga and meditation grew from three volunteers into an established service across two hospit...

An NHS leader involved in setting up one of the five Nightingale Hospitals and a mass vaccination centre, made it his mission to create a positive working culture from the start.   While the pressure was on to equip and staff two large centres, John Herring made sure there was time to agree a vision, purpose and values. He tells us why it was so important. John Herring is the Strategic Lead for Or...

Looking after staff has never been more important as it is during the intense pressures created by the pandemic. In this podcast we hear how one NHS trust is taking a structured approach to supporting colleagues from the earliest signs of anxiety through to post traumatic stress disorder.   Our interviewee is Nicole Williams, Deputy Director of Organisational Development at Wigan, Wrightington and...

This is a conversation with Dr Cecil Kullu, a clinical leader in the North West who admits to an insatiable curiosity, always asking questions, exploring innovations - and believing in the power of people to help each other.    Dr Kullu FRCpsych is a Consultant Psychiatrist in Liaison Psychiatry and Deputy Medical Director for Research, Innovation and Development at Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trus...

Merseyside was at the epicentre of the UK response to COVID-19 when the country’s first quarantine centre for 50 years was set up at Arrowe Park Hospital.   It was a case of all hands on deck when different organisations as well as the local community stepped up to the challenge of providing a safe haven for their reluctant guests, returning from Wuhan.   In this podcast, recorded on Zoom, we hear...

Creating music can have a powerful impact on wellbeing; and in the case of Carnegie Hall’s Lullaby Project it is supporting maternal health, aiding childhood development, and strengthening the bond between parent and child.    In this podcast, recorded on Zoom, we hear from Tiffany Ortiz, Director of Early Childhood Programs for Carnegie Hall's Weill Music Institute, and musician Emily Eagen. We w...

An independent report by The King's Fund author Ben Collins, titled A 'curious experiment' reflects on the challenges and successes of the Innovation Agency over the last seven years. In this podcast, Ben is joined by the founding leaders of the Innovation Agency - Dr Liz Mear and Gideon Ben-Tovim OBE, to discuss his findings.   The report can be found here: https://www.innovationagencynwc.nhs.uk/...

The chairs of Local Enterprise Partnerships in Lancashire and in Liverpool City Region have been at the forefront of efforts to support businesses through the pandemic. Steve Fogg and Asif Hamid MBE share their personal experiences as well as those of the LEPs in this interview, recorded on Zoom.

Two leaders of the Innovation Agency talk about the impact of COVID-19 on themselves and their work; how they pivoted to focus entirely on the needs of the local systems; and their vision of the future healthcare landscape in the North West Coast.   The interviewees are Chief Executive Dr Liz Mear and Deputy Chief Executive/Medical Director Dr Phil Jennings.

Jen Kohan describes how to support a culture in the workplace in which innovation can thrive.

Aviation industry safety expert Gordon Dupont identified 12 elements that influence people to make mistakes – the ‘dirty dozen’. Karla Rimaitis of the Innovation Agency Coaching Academy explains how these are applied in healthcare to reduce risks and keep patients – and staff – safe.

Karla Rimaitis of the Innovation Agency Coaching Academy, reveals her secrets in running a successful meeting or event, using ‘Liberating Structures’, a set of simple techniques; and shares her top three ways to get people talking.

Hear from Juliette Kumar about why it is vital to have psychological safety in the workplace in order to get the best out of people.

Jen Kohan, Head of the Innovation Agency Coaching Academy, has advice for anyone involved in innovation and improvement, on the importance of developing a growth mindset.

What is coaching in the workplace and why do we need it? Innovation Agency Associate Director for Improvement and Education Juliette Kumar explains how coaching skills can transform the way we work.

We return to Alder Hey to hear from engineer Dave Collins who created the 3D model of the ‘impossible tumour’ and the trust’s clinical director of innovation Iain Hennessey, about how 3D printing – and other innovations - are pushing the boundaries of what is possible in medicine.  This episode was recorded on 27 February 2020.

Juliette Kumar explores how leaders can maintain an awareness of their own behaviours as they lead through a crisis, offering insights on how to be a compassionate leader with some useful coaching tools for self reflection.