Adopting innovation and managing change in healthcare settings

 

More than 300 people have taken part in this Masters-level programme of practical skills for staff delivering care, NHS managers, partners and commissioners since its launch in 2016.

The online programme enables the NHS workforce to overcome challenges and introduce new ways of enhancing patient care. It supports innovation adoption, quality improvement and change management in healthcare settings.

Tracey Marriott, the Director of Clinical Innovation Adoption at the Oxford AHSN, said: “Frontline staff know the challenges and often have a solution. This programme helps them make it a reality.”

It gives NHS staff the skills, tools, knowledge and understanding they need. The programme covers stakeholder engagement, evidence collection and analysis, business case writing, procurement, managing change and collaborative working across the healthcare system to support adoption at scale.

The programme is delivered by the Oxford AHSN with Bucks New University (BNU). It aligns with NHS commitments to workforce development. A 2017 evaluation found that the programme delivered a three-fold return on investment.

Examples of projects successfully implemented by NHS staff having completed the programme include:

• delivering intravenous antibiotic treatment in patients’ own homes
• virtual clinics for age-related macular degeneration
• artificial intelligence in head trauma and lung cancer diagnosis

Participants’ commitment is approximately 12 days spread over nine months. Students are enrolled as affiliates on the MSc Professional Practice. On completion of two modules they are awarded 60 level 7 (Masters level) credits. These can be used towards a Masters degree at BNU or an equivalent Masters at another university which accepts the credits via their Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL) process. Students seeking a Post Graduate Certificate in Professional Practice after successfully completing both modules can do so by paying the fee differential.