InnoScot Health

The InnoScot Health office will be closed from Tuesday 24 December, reopening on Friday 3 January. During this time period, this account will not be monitored. We hope you have a restful and restorative Christmas and New Year.

Our ‘lunch & learn’ sessions are hosted live on Microsoft Teams and see InnoScot Health staff sharing their knowledge and insights on, while also providing a platform for inspiring guest speakers. The full playlist is available to view on demand 👉 https://lnkd.in/eYQVh43i

"Towards the close of the year, it is always natural to reflect on what’s come before while looking ahead with optimism to what might be in store — and the ever-shifting Scottish healthcare landscape is no different. "There remains so much transformative potential, and I believe that 2025 will see further strong progress made towards where we need to be with forward-thinking ideas to the fore. "The progressive thirst for innovation from the NHS Scotland workforce is in abundance and InnoScot Health is proud to be championing that drive with its uniquely dynamic support at the centre of an exciting, constantly evolving environment. "Yes, challenges linger, but the recent budget announcement has provided a platform for the health and social care system to focus on reform and innovation. We must work as a whole system and across organisational boundaries to improve outcomes and deliver the best possible care within our available resources." Read the full story in our festive message from Executive Chair of InnoScot Health, Graham Watson 🔗 https://lnkd.in/g_wZVkfW

"Innovation is often thought of as the practice of replacing existing approaches with the adoption of progressive new technologies — trailblazing ideas that have the potential to transform healthcare. "At InnoScot Health, we certainly believe that while such additions can be a meaningful part of the bigger innovation picture, other avenues of transformation and evolutionary improvement can be just as effective as we aim to fundamentally increase capacity across the NHS. ""Breakthroughs can come in many shapes and sizes — big or small, simple or complex — and they do not always require significant capital to make a measurable difference. Ensuring that staff continue to be inspired and educated in the aim to identify smarter, more efficient ways of working can be just as valuable when achieved in tandem with carefully targeted larger investments for a more cost-effective health service." Read the full story by our Head of Innovation, Robert Rea 🔗 https://lnkd.in/eVkehTsb

InnoScot Health has played a key role in the development of ‘game-changing’ scrubs with a warm kangaroo-style pouch, allowing vital skin-to-skin contact for newborns. Stacey Boyle, an Elective Section Midwife with NHS Lothian, and Senior Charge Nurse, Marianne Hay, invented the new product that is improving outcomes for tiny babies and has the potential to revolutionise neonatal care across the UK and globally. Newborns delivered by Caesarean Section can now be carefully placed into the fleece pouch worn by birthing partners while the surgical team focus on the mum and the completion of the procedure. It means that newborns can nestle inside Cozy Cuddle Scrubs (by Stacey)™ and immediately reap all of the benefits of skin-to-skin contact, helping them to adjust to life outside the womb by keeping them warm while regulating heart rate and breathing; encouraging babies to look for breasts to start feeding; and assisting with immediate bonding and emotional connection. Previously, skin-to-skin contact could be challenging due to the restricted size of the theatre table. Most women are also uncomfortable trying to do it and it can be unsafe for babies when mums are lying flat. Birthing partners are increasingly keen to step in with skin-to-skin contact in the interim, which means they need to take off their scrub tops, and then the newborn is placed on their chest and covered with blankets or towels. That does not always effectively sustain or assist in keeping babies warm, meaning they can be at risk of having to be admitted to special care, while staff often note that a lot of partners feel self-conscious without a top on. Read the full story 🔗 https://lnkd.in/eZeMfbVw

New on our website, Innovation Manager at InnoScot Health, Fiona Schaefer looks at how best to inspire fresh innovation from a time-poor workforce. "Successfully engaging an already pressured NHS workforce in fostering new ideas can be a challenging task but it’s one that all must be united in their commitment to achieving. "If done right, it’s also an exciting prospect with vast potential to shake up the health service and lay the foundations for an enduringly efficient and sustainable future. "Collectively making up a third of the country’s deeply skilled health and social care workforce, nurses, midwives, and allied health professionals (AHPs) are the vital backbone of the healthcare system with patients’ and families’ needs at the heart of everything they do. "These staff groups are therefore particularly well placed to use their knowledge to make a significant impact on ongoing aims to transform the NHS — whether improving patient care, enhancing working practices, or generating a financial return which benefits all." Read the full story 🔗 https://lnkd.in/e_jEyvVN

Hosted by The University of Edinburgh, EIE25 presents the leading spinouts, startups, and scaleups from Scotland’s top universities, all focused on tackling global challenges. More information, and links to register your interest, are on our website 🔗 https://lnkd.in/eXQEcs4B

The December issue of 'INSIGHT by InnoScot Health' is out now. As 2024 comes to a close it is a time for reflection, as well as looking ahead to what the future has in store. As healthcare continues to evolve at a rapid and exciting pace, InnoScot Health truly believes that each innovator, entrepreneur, NHS Board, and partner organisation holds a unique, valued place in the journey to a better healthcare future. In 2025, we are certain that the progressive thirst for innovation from the NHS Scotland workforce will remain in abundance. The recent Scottish Government Budget 2025-26 budget provides a platform for the health and social care system to focus on reform and innovation, but this requires work as a whole system and across organisational boundaries to improve outcomes and deliver the best possible care within our available resources. With over 22 years of experience supporting NHS-led innovation InnoScot Health is committed to providing continued support, strengthening collective endeavours, and maximising the talent, expertise and entrepreneurial potential of innovators within the NHS. While the funding model for InnoScot Health is changing our vision for entrepreneurial, collaborative Scotland where healthcare innovation thrives is still the driving ambition behind everything we do. Read the issue, and subscribe to receive direct to your inbox 🔗 https://lnkd.in/e_52n5sS

InnoScot Health has championed the ‘vital and timely return’ of Glasgow Tech Week in 2025, with a full programme including a 'health technology focus' expected to be announced in spring. The city’s second annual showcase of innovative activity is set for 26-31 May with a full programme expected to be announced in spring, including a health technology focus. It will bring together founders, tech leaders, ecosystem builders, and the community to celebrate the cutting-edge work taking place within Glasgow’s tech, digital, and creative ecosystem. Scotland’s only tech week will see Glasgow City Innovation District partner with global businesses and SMEs for events including breakfast seminars, educational workshops, networking evenings and more taking place across the city. Organisers are calling it “a week of incredible, unique events as we cover everything from investment and business support to pitching, health tech and space”. InnoScot Health believes Glasgow Tech Week 2025 will be even bigger and better than last year, continuing the momentum started by the inaugural event. Of particular note for pioneering healthcare thinkers, says InnoScot Health, was an NHS West of Scotland Healthcare Innovation Day held at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital last May, organised by West of Scotland Innovation Hub and the Living Laboratory in partnership with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, the Chief Scientist Office (CSO) of The Scottish Government, and more. The day showcased artificial intelligence (AI), augmented reality (AR), drones, and digital platforms, including hands-on product demonstrations, presentations and panel discussions involving innovation fellows and clinical theme leads. InnoScot Health insists that such collaborative initiatives are key to moving from inspiration to commercialisation — linking the NHS with industry and academia — and Glasgow Tech Week 2025 represents an ideal platform for making important new connections. Read the full story 🔗 https://lnkd.in/ex2A268d

InnoScot Health has welcomed the opening of nominations for the Nurse of the Year Awards and its championing of leading innovation. The Royal College of Nursing - Company (RCN) in Scotland is holding its annual awards in June next year which are designed to recognise, highlight, and celebrate the dedication and outstanding professional care of nursing staff across Scotland. The organisers are now looking for nominations that “demonstrate the best of nursing — through innovation, excellence in practice, leadership, and commitment”. Among the 12 categories is the ‘Inspiring Excellence — Nursing Innovation and Research Award’, recognising registered nurses or midwives working in research, service transformation or who have introduced innovative practice and “influenced change with a measurable impact on outcomes and/or experience”. InnoScot Health has just launched a fresh innovation drive aiming to encourage and inspire nurses, midwives, and allied health professionals to come forward with fresh ideas that could help to transform NHS Scotland. It believes the RCN Scotland Awards represent another great platform for inspiring and spearheading positive change led by vital staffing groups. Read the full story 🔗 https://lnkd.in/e9pFZ-e8