InnoScott aims to improve women’s health with new innovation call

InnoScot Health aims to help the NHS Scotland improve women’s health with a new innovation call targeted at pregnancy and perinatal treatment and care.

The new call, which is now open, seeks to inspire new ideas and new thinking from all healthcare workers to promote and support good child and maternal health.

This is an area of ​​intense focus for the Scottish Government. Its Women’s Health Plan (2021-2024) set out a strategy to improve health and reduce health inequalities; Reshaping long-term plans to improve maternal and newborn care post-pandemic Getting it Right for Every Child (GIRFEC) Continued commitment to providing the right support at the right time to all children, young people and their families Is.

InnoScot Health is a formal partner of NHS Scotland and believes that identifying ideas drawn from the deep expertise and experience of the workforce can improve how the service delivers the right care for every woman and child, while Gives all children the best possible start in life.

It is important to inspire this diverse workforce to come up with new ways of working, and to help encourage staff to come forward with innovative ideas, InnoScot Health’s package of support for NHS Scotland staff includes up to £25,000 in early seed funding, regulatory support, project management, and the extensive innovation expertise of its highly experienced team.

Ideas that InnoScot Health is looking for may include:

• Tools for managing and monitoring pregnancy
• Innovation to improve labor and delivery
• Techniques requiring specialist care for newborns
• Improving outcomes for mothers with co-morbidities
• Support for women experiencing mental health problems before and after giving birth

Robert Rea, head of innovation at InnoScot Health, said: “It is vital that we improve maternal and neonatal care outcomes for all women, babies and families in Scotland, and focus more on mental health and inequalities.”2020 In the U.S., women were three times more likely to die by suicide during or up to six weeks after the end of pregnancy than in 2017-2019. We also know that black and Asian women are more likely to die during pregnancy than white women, further disparities remain an issue.

“But we have an opportunity to work collaboratively to improve pregnancy and perinatal services and we are calling on staff across NHS Scotland who have wide-ranging experience and insight to come forward with their ideas and solutions.

“Workforce innovators with breakthrough ideas can be the difference that makes for better patient outcomes.”

Since it was established in 2002, InnoScot Health has developed a range of medical equipment, products and technologies for use in hospitals, care homes and on-scene emergency settings in Scotland and around the world. This helped pioneer the ambulance child restraint (ACR), a flexible, fully harnessed system used for the safe, secure and effective transport of infants and children in ambulances.

The patented two-part system was an idea by Keith Colver and David Fitzpatrick from the Scottish Ambulance Service, developed with Innoscot Health and Lightweight Medical.

The Children’s Acute Transport Service, NHS Infection Control Officers, and pediatric ICU specialists at Glasgow’s Yorkhill Hospital for Sick Children contributed to further ACR development and it is now manufactured by Parade Medical after adoption across Scotland.

Gillian Henderson, Head of Project Management, said: “Innoscot Health can be a valuable partner in the journey from assessment to deployment for innovation in pregnancy and perinatal treatment and care.

“In the case of the highly successful Ambulance Child Restraint, we worked with all parties to facilitate design and development, IP protection, and entered into the necessary legal agreements.

“We hope to repeat this success with our latest themed call. It aims to inspire solutions to everyday problems from people who work within the service and often better understand the challenges they face. Our business support It then helps to translate ideas into products and services that can then be deployed back into the NHS, resulting in better outcomes, better processes and more sustainable healthcare.

The call welcomes ideas – simple or complex – from any NHS health board and staff in all roles. Ideas can be submitted online through www.innoscot.com. Once submitted, they will be assessed by an expert team and selected innovations will have access to a package of support.