Message from our Chair
Welcome to our Impact Report. Each year, this report highlights the impact our work has had on communities across the North West Coast.
The Government’s Fit for the Future 10 Year Health Plan, published last summer, gives a clear endorsement to the health innovation networks and pledges to continue supporting them. The Life Sciences Sector Plan also makes explicit the Government’s determination to empower the networks to drive innovation on a large scale.
These plans are ushering us in a direction we were already taking, and the experiences of the last few months give substance to that view.
We have since published our own strategy, Powering the Future of Health and Care Innovation, which describes the direction we will take until 2030.
It spells out our determination to collaborate with partners to unlock the full potential of innovation, and the five ambitions it outlines will help reduce health inequalities while driving economic growth.
And while the strategy is a new document it crystallizes work we have already been doing. Our community diagnosis and treatment work for patients with respiratory conditions, for example, which delivers an earlier diagnosis and contributes to antimicrobial stewardship, illustrates our strategy’s ambition to drive the adoption and spread of proven innovations.
Similarly, we co-designed and evaluated an innovative pathway to support patients on high doses of opioids, a project that led to a 33 per cent reduction in use of the drugs.
The highlights in this report demonstrate that our innovation journey over the next few years is heading in the right direction.
Powering the Future of Health and Care Innovation
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Message from our Chief Executive
It gives me great pleasure to present our Impact Report for 2026. Innovation that powers change in the health and care system while driving economic growth in our region is more important than ever. Our work over the last year demonstrates the value that health innovation networks add when working in partnership as part of the 'quadruple helix' involving the NHS, academia, local government and industry.
For patients, we have transformed services using technology. Our team introduced remote monitoring and follow-up in neuro rehabilitation, and we have championed prevention-leading initiatives in blood pressure treatment, cholesterol management and novel approaches to the diagnosis of heart failure. Our programmes in patient safety have led the introduction of early warning scores for expectant mothers and we have spearheaded work to reduce brain injury in children.
Joining forces with partners in local authorities and housing we have leveraged our considerable regional data assets to identify families most at risk from respiratory illness over the winter. This award-winning programme alone has led to a reduction in cases of respiratory illness and reduced pressure on primary care. Ground-breaking point-of-care testing in emergency departments has ensured early access to life-saving treatment for patients who need it most while avoiding the need for antibiotics in cases where they would not help.
Accelerating economic growth continues to remain a focus, whether by improving the health of our population or direct investment into our region. This year we have supported more than 400 innovative companies, activity which has both stimulated growth and improved health outcomes.
Our new corporate strategy spells out our ambition to mobilise expertise across the innovation ecosystem to arrive at imaginative solutions to some of our most intractable challenges. I feel these initiatives exemplify that ambition.
This is a good opportunity to thank our partners from across the region, from health and care, academia, local government and elsewhere, whose efforts give us cause to celebrate the power of collaboration.
Contact us:
Email: info@healthinnovationnwc.nhs.uk
In: Health Innovation North West Coast
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Our front cover picture shows trust teams from across the region at event to mark the successful implementation of Martha’s Rule.
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