Excitement at new Peterborough and Cambridgeshire health hub

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust (CPFT) has been chosen by independent charity the Health Foundation to host one of four UK hubs, with joint leadership from Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (CUH) and the Eastern Academic Health Science Network (AHSN).

Each hub has been awarded up to £475,000 by the Adopting Innovation programme to help improve health and care services over two and a half years.

The winning bid for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough was co-produced with patient and citizen groups in partnership with NHS trusts, innovation partners, local authorities, universities and primary care alliances to assist the developing Integrated Care System.

The new hub will provide expertise and support to adopt innovations which can make a positive impact for patients and their quality of life, as well as tackling health inequalities.

Tracy Dowling, chief executive of CPFT, said: “I’m delighted that our collaborative project has been awarded funding to develop this resource for the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough health system.

“Thank you to everyone who contributed their expertise, insight and time to make the bid successful. We need to ensure we are applying the best innovations to improve lives and care as quickly as possible, working with clinical, innovation, academic and public partners.

“Our hub will coordinate an effective approach to address the most urgent health needs as we recover from the pandemic.”

The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough innovation hub will be developed to support all partners in the Integrated Care System, with CPFT and the trust’s patient participation forum, CUH, Cambridge University Health Partners, North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust, Royal Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Eastern AHSN, the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration East of England, Healthwatch Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, the East of England Citizens’ Senate, North and South Primary Care Alliances, the University of Cambridge Institute for Manufacturing, the University of East Anglia ImpACT Research Group, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Clinical Commissioning Group, Cambridgeshire County Council and Peterborough City Council.

A new citizen participation group will involve people in directing the hub’s activities, reviewing and adapting innovations for local use, and evaluating the programme.

Val Moore, chair of Healthwatch Cambridgeshire and Peterborough said: “Local people in all areas of Peterborough and Cambridgeshire will want fair access to healthcare innovations, and to know they can fit well with their lives and in their communities. The hub will help this to happen.”

Trevor Fernandes, chair of the East of England Citizens’ Senate, said: “Our members from all over the region are committed to supporting innovation and service change for patient benefit. Involvement in the hub will help us deliver our aspirations and also address diversity and inequality issues to represent underserved areas and communities.”

Will Warburton, director of improvement at the Health Foundation, said: “This is a unique opportunity for the four innovation hubs to create change to improve patient care. It comes at a time where the NHS needs to accelerate effective uptake of new ideas to meet the challenges of delivering care to all who need it during the pandemic.”

More information can be found at: https://www.health.org.uk/news-and-comment/news/four-innovation-hubs-to-be-established-as-part-of-the-health.