From rxpgnews.com

UK
A new era of NHS innovation and change
By DH, UK
Mar 31, 2005, 15:30

Health Minister Lord Warner set out further details of the role of the new NHS Institute for Learning, Skills and Innovation.

The new NHS Institute is set to herald a new era of innovation and change for the NHS. It will support the organisation and its workforce in accelerating the delivery of world-class healthcare by identifying and encouraging innovation and developing the capability of the NHS.

Lord Warner said:

�We are determined to develop best practice in the NHS and adopt rapidly new ideas and ways of working.

�The NHS Modernisation Agency, NHSU and the NHS Leadership Centre have played a valuable role in supporting this change, but as the service faces new challenges, a new approach is required.

�The new NHS Institute will be a much leaner organisation that is focused on innovation and change � not a provider of large-scale training programmes. Others are already doing the training or are well placed to do so. Instead, the new Institute will identify the opportunities for learning to ensure that all staff reach their full potential and are able to acquire the competences to implement new ways of working.

�The new organisation will establish a dynamic and direct relationship with the Department of Health, national agencies, and NHS organisations. I am looking forward to seeing the benefits that the new organisation will bring to the NHS and its patients.�

Lord Warner said that the NHS Institute will:

� work closely with clinicians, NHS organisations, patients, the public, academia and industry in the UK and world-wide to identify best practice;

� develop the NHS� capability for service transformation, technology and product innovation, leadership development and learning;

� support the rapid adoption and spread of new ideas by providing guidance on practical change ideas and ways to facilitate local, safe implementation.

� promote a culture of innovation and life long learning for all NHS staff.

Potential areas of innovation that the NHS Institute will deliver include developing more personalised care for people with long term conditions, the testing of new procurement models, and ensuring further value from the NHS annual �4bn training programme for the widest possible range of staff.

Lord Warner added:

�No-one should be left behind as the NHS embraces more innovations for patients."

The NHS Institute will be established as an England-only Special Health Authority by July 2005. It will be located in a flagship building on the heart of the campus at the University of Warwick. Lord Warner said that a wide range of alternative locations had been considered and that the Warwick campus site best met the needs of the NHS.

The NHS Institute will also incorporate the National Innovation Centre (NIC), as recommended in the Healthcare Industries Taskforce report. The NIC will be based with the NHS Institute but will operate as a network to benefit from the expertise that exists around the country.

The budget for the NHS Institute is �80m for 2005/06, including the cost of the NIC (initially �6m a year), with an additional �20m for transition costs. The total staffing level will be up to 170 including short-term secondees working on particular programmes.

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