More than 300 people benefited from this Masters-level programme of practical skills for staff delivering care, NHS managers, partners and commissioners between 2016 and 2023. The programme is now closed.
The online programme enabled the NHS workforce to overcome challenges and introduce new ways of enhancing patient care. It supports innovation adoption, quality improvement and change management in healthcare settings.
Tracey Marriott, the Director of Clinical Innovation Adoption at Health Innovation Oxford and Thames Valley, said: “Frontline staff know the challenges and often have a solution. This programme helped them make it a reality.”
It gave NHS staff the skills, tools, knowledge and understanding they needed. The programme covered stakeholder engagement, evidence collection and analysis, business case writing, procurement, managing change and collaborative working across the healthcare system to support adoption at scale.
The programme was delivered by Health Innovation Oxford and Thames Valley with Bucks New University (BNU). It aligned with NHS commitments to workforce development. A 2017 evaluation found that the programme delivered a three-fold return on investment.
Examples of projects successfully implemented by NHS staff having completed the programme include:
- delivering intravenous antibiotic treatment in patients’ own homes
- virtual clinics for age-related macular degeneration
- artificial intelligence in head trauma and lung cancer diagnosis