News

As the ‘innovation arm of the NHS’ the national AHSN Network works to support the NHS to deliver a step-change in the rapid identification, adoption and spread of good practice, clinical innovations and new technologies to meet the challenges set out the NHS Long Term Plan.

This update outlines the work we are doing in our region to support the aim of the NHS Long Term Plan to make digitally-enabled care go mainstream across the NHS

Digital technology underpins some of the plan’s most ambitious patient-facing targets. The plan also sets out how digital technology will facilitate service transformation, including the redesign of outpatient services and reorganisations of pathology and diagnostic imaging services.

Healthcare Communications

Healthcare Communications has developed a digital innovation that enables appointment letters and information to be sent directly to patients’ smartphones. The service is available in 99 languages, making it instantly accessible. Digital letters save on postal costs and staff time – Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust has seen a 48% saving in postal costs after implementing digital appointment letters. It also reduces the number of missed appointments as the digital letter is sent straight to a smartphone instead of potentially being lost in the post.

As part of our package of support for the company, Yorkshire & Humber AHSN hosted an engagement event to introduce Healthcare Communications to other Trusts in the region enabling spread of its innovation. We also supported Healthcare Communications in establishing an office in Leeds, providing the company with a greater presence in the region and contributing to job creation.

Healthcare Communications is shortlisted in the HSJ’s Partnership Awards in the Patient Digital Participation Award category.

Yorkshire and Humber Care Record

We are continuing our support for the Yorkshire and Humber Digital Care Board and its work to deliver the Yorkshire and Humber Care Record.

This will provide health and care staff with better and faster access to vital information about the person in their care by using technology and digital innovations to link systems across organisations, enabling care providers to work more closely together.

The Yorkshire & Humber Care Record will also provide citizens with access to their information and encourage them to be more involved in looking after their health.

Our financial and resource support for the Yorkshire and Humber Care Record fits our remit to ensure that innovations that can improve the quality of care for patients in the region are implemented at pace and scale.

Northern Pathology Imaging Co-operative (NPIC)

NPIC is a successful partnership led by the University of Leeds and Leeds Teaching Hospitals that embraces a network of nine NHS hospitals, seven universities and ten industry-leading medical technology companies.

The consortium is now set to become a globally-leading centre for applying artificial intelligence (AI) research to cancer diagnosis.

NPIC has been awarded £10.1 million investment from UK Research and Innovation to expand a digital pathology and artificial intelligence programme across the North of England. This bid was supported by Yorkshire & Humber AHSN and Neville Young, the AHSN’s Director of Enterprise and Innovation chairs the project’s Steering Committee.

The investment from UK Research and Innovation has now been boosted by an initial investment of £7m from the companies involved in the programme.

More information

If you’d like to find out more about our work with Healthcare Communications, the Yorkshire and Humber Care Record or the Northern Pathology Imaging Co-operative please contact:

Neville Young, Director of Enterprise and Innovation, neville.young@yhahsn.com

For more information about what we do and how we are supporting the delivery of the Long Term Plan please contact:

Kathy Scott, Deputy CEO and Chief Operating Officer, kathy.scott@yhahsn.com

Additional resources

Our response to the Long Term Plan
Yorkshire & Humber Digital Health workstream
JoinedUp Yorkshire & Humber
NPIC