July 2024 Newsletter

New Digital Stroke-Management Pathway Pilot Launched in NHS Lothian

A new digital pathway aimed at supporting stroke survivors launched on 18th June 2024 in NHS Lothian. The pathway will be using the digital platform and app ‘Tailored Talks’, created by Pogo Digital Healthcare, to provide tailored support and information to people recovering from a stroke. As an integrated care pathway, the Tailored Talks system links patients to third sector support from Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland, where the Advice Line team can offer patients a call-back for further guidance. The pathway is an example of how industry, NHS and third sector parties can collaborate to improve healthcare and support patient self-management.

Project CAELUS wins Award for Most Innovative Transport Project of the year

We’re thrilled to announce that Project CAELUS has won the award for Most Innovative Transport Project of the year at the Scottish Transport Awards. The CAELUS Project, which aims to create the UK’s first medical distribution network using drones, was recognised for its ground breaking work in technology and innovation. This achievement is a testament to the dedication and vision of our team. We’re beyond excited about this honour and following approval, we are excited that our first flying network will be taking place in the South East region in the next month between NHS Lothian and NHS Borders.

NHS Clinical Entrepreneur Programme Key 2024 Application Dates

Are you an NHS staff member with a flair for innovation and a vision for improving patient care? If you have a great idea but need support bringing it to life, the NHS Clinical Entrepreneur Programme (CEP) could be for you! This free, 1-year long programme, is open to all NHS staff across the U.K. (both clinical and non-clinical). It provides learning, opportunities and experiences through which entrepreneurs develop the commercial skills to accelerate their innovations, in turn helping to transform patient care, as well as providing them with the entrepreneurial knowledge that will help them in their day jobs.

• Applications open:  8am on 1st October 2024
• Applications close: 6pm on 29th October 2024
• Review and assessment phase: November – December 2024
• Outcome notification: January 2025
• Programme starts: Late February / early March 2025

The SBRI Healthcare Innovation Conference 2024

Join the livestream of the the SBRI Healthcare Innovation Conference 2024 on Monday 15th July 2024 from 10.00am-3.45pm. This event is an interesting opportunity to hear from some of the UK’s most disruptive healthcare innovators and to gain practical advice from senior NHS leaders on social value and the net zero ambition, health inequalities, commercialisation, procurement, spread & adoption and more.

NHS Clinical Entrepreneur Programme – Mentoring Opportunities

Scottish clinicians and entrepreneurs are invited to join over 300 mentors from across industry and the commercial sector, academia, the NHS and public sector and start-ups, who give their time voluntarily to help and guide NHS Clinical Entrepreneurs.

Volunteering as a mentor allows you to make a difference to Clinical Entrepreneurs, by sharing your specialist knowledge and expertise while getting to know some of the brightest and creative minds in the NHS.

Launching the Futurescot AI Challenge for the Scottish public sector

Futurescot have announced the launch of the first Futurescot AI Challenge, in association with Scottish technology consultancy StormID. The Futurescot AI Challenge 2024 is a competition to bring together Scottish public sector organisations to solve problems using Artificial Intelligence (AI). This competition is open to all public sector bodies in Scotland, from central and local government to government agencies, NHS, police, and any frontline public service looking to harness AI for the benefit of Scottish citizens. The aim is to help public sector organisations take their first steps in this exciting new world of artificial intelligence, exploring use cases and developing ‘proof of concepts’ for future potential adoption. Register here to attend an informative webinar taking place 11:30am – 12:15pm on 17th July 2024.

Resources from the NHS Scotland Event 2024 now available

All resources from the NHS Scotland Event 2024 are now available on the Event website. This includes filmed footage of the Plenary sessions, presentations from all sessions, as well as all the posters that were on display. This year’s Event took place on Monday 10th June at the SEC in Glasgow.

Funding Opportunity: Implementing evidence-based interventions to support older adults’ independence

The Dunhill Medical Trust (DMT) has announced an upcoming funding call aimed at facilitating the adoption of evidence-based interventions to help older adults maintain and/or improve their independence. With numerous well-evidenced interventions already available, this funding opportunity seeks to support research proposals that aim to scale these interventions, including generating evidence on their financial sustainability, to help ensure their longer-term adoption. They are particularly keen to support proposals that address needs in under-served communities. The call is opening in early to mid-July 2024 with up to £1.2M per project for a maximum duration of four years. Applicants must have an “expression of interest” conversation with the Trust’s triage panel by the deadline of early September 2024, with successful applicants being invited to submit a full application by mid to late October 2024. The DMT are hosting a webinar on 17th July 2024 to discuss the call and give prospective applicants the chance to ask questions.

Nominations Open for Scotland's Health Awards 2024

Nominations are now open for the first year of Scotland’s Health Awards.  These awards signify a new partnership between The Scotsman and the Scottish Government and will celebrate those working across NHS Scotland and its partners in delivering high quality health and social care services to the people of Scotland. All winners will be announced on Thursday 7th November 2024 at the awards ceremony. Submit your nominations for Scotland’s Health Awards online by Midnight on Sunday 18th August. For further information on this and all the award categories, visit Scotland’s Health Awards website via the following link.

Digital Lifelines Scotland Annual Conference 2024

The Digital Lifelines Scotland Third Annual Conference will be held in-person on Tuesday 10th September 2024 at The Surgeons Quarter in Edinburgh. Reserve a ticket today for this free event to join Christina McKelvie, Minister for Drug and Alcohol Policy, and other keynote speakers celebrating the achievements of the programme so far and looking to the future of how digital can help reduce drug-related harms in Scotland.

Health Inequalities in Scotland: The State of the Nation

Holyrood’s inaugural Health Inequalities in Scotland: The State of the Nation summit, is taking place at Dynamic Earth on 17th September 2024. The summit is free to attend and will bring together Scotland’s leading public health voices from the public, private and third sectors to share innovation, make connections and explore the practical steps that can be taken to inspire change and turn the tide.

Over the course of the day, sessions will:

• Explore initiatives that have been successful in tackling health inequalities;
• Discuss solutions to specific challenges such as smoking and obesity;
• Consider the roles that different sectors such can and are playing.

Secure your FREE place at Public Sector Cloud Services, Infrastructure and AI 2024

Holyrood’s annual Cloud conference will return to Dynamic Earth in central Edinburgh on 24th September 2024. The revamped event will delve into Public Sector Cloud Services, Infrastructure and AI, featuring speakers from the Scottish Government, Skills Development Scotland, SCVO, Digital Office for Scottish Local Government, Forestry and Land Scotland, Woxsen University and more!

DigitalScotland 2024 Conference Launch – Registration open!

Registration for DigitalScotland 2024 is officially open which will take place on 26th November 2024, at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre. DigitalScotland 2024 is the leading forum to hear about how digital and data are transforming the way our public services operate and fulfil their mission to be modern, responsive, and designed around the needs of citizens.

Designed to bring together digital and data professionals from across the public sector, the full-day event is a must-attend and features a fantastic line-up of 50+ speakers, 50+ industry partners and 1,200+ attendees to explore the latest trends, share insights and showcase innovative solutions to the challenges facing Scotland’s citizens.