The Health Innovation Oxford and Thames Valley team, November 2023. Nigel Keen, Chair, and Professor Gary Ford, Chief Executive (right), are in the foreground. Pic by Jon Lewis
Health Innovation Oxford & Thames Valley supports improvements in health and social care through innovation and system transformation. It is a regional partnership covering around three million people in Berkshire, Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Milton Keynes and parts of Surrey. This region is a leading national and international life sciences cluster with more than 640 life science businesses.
Health Innovation Oxford & Thames Valley (formerly Oxford AHSN) employs around 45 staff and has an operational budget of approximately £6 million a year funded by three national commissioning teams (NHS England Innovation Research and Life Sciences, the Office for Life Sciences, NHS England Patient Safety), as well as partner contributions and grants.
Health Innovation Oxford & Thames Valley uses its knowledge, expertise and experience to develop sustainable solutions in response to population needs in collaboration with the NHS, life sciences industry and universities at local, regional and national level. In doing so we improve patient outcomes, reduce health inequalities, help save the NHS money, support the economy and empower healthcare staff.
We support integrated care systems to optimise health and life expectancy by developing high value innovations and improvements, taking account of health inequalities and ensuring patients and public are included at all times.
The Health Innovation Oxford & Thames Valley strategic plan aligns with that of the Health Innovation Network, the overarching collaboration covering all 15 Health Innovation Networks in England established in 2013, see map left. Health Innovation Networks are developing a ‘pipeline’ of high impact innovations in line with regional and national priorities. For Health Innovation Oxford & Thames Valley these largely fall within four health and care priority areas – mental health, cardiovascular disease, respiratory and maternity/neonatal – all of which are aligned with the NHS Core20Plus5 drive to reduce health inequalities.
Health Innovation Oxford & Thames Valley is hosted by Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.