Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust (HDFT) has opened a new Healthcare Innovation Hub in Knaresborough.
Located at St James Business Park, the Healthcare Innovation Hub was officially opened by David Skaith, Mayor of York and North Yorkshire.
This dedicated environment has been created solely for innovation and research, where significant enhancements in healthcare services can be identified, developed, tested and introduced.
The ultimate goal is to improve the health and care of patients, children and young people.
Last year, the Trust secured £1.4 million in funding for an additional MRI scanner to support groundbreaking research benefiting patients.
HDFT is also at the forefront of Imaging AI, having introduced AI fracture detection software in the diagnosis of bone fractures and chest x-rays.
The Healthcare Innovation Hub will not only nurture home grown ideas, but also serve as a 'front door' for HDFT to engage with public, private, and third-sector organisations in the region, fostering collaboration on innovation and research.
By developing a healthcare innovation network, the hub will play a central role in accelerating the use of innovation to improve healthcare delivery, and facilitate the sharing of ideas through networking events.
The official launch event was attended by HDFT colleagues, including Jonathan Coulter, Chief Executive; Sarah Armstrong, Chair; and Dr Jacqueline Andrews, Executive Medical Director.
Representatives from other NHS organisations, charities, industry, academia, and innovation and research support organisations were also present.
Attendees had the opportunity to hear from senior executives and innovation leads and discuss future collaboration opportunities.
David Skaith, Mayor of York and North Yorkshire, said:
"This is an exciting step forward for Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust’s ambition to be a leading trust for innovation in healthcare.
"The innovation team have already made great strides, but this will make the NHS more accessible than ever. It will turbocharge this great work and create better outcomes for patients.
"York and North Yorkshire has the knowledge, research and innovative strengths to drive growth. Innovation is key to our work – through my £5 million Business Innovation Fund we want to push projects just like this further and faster."
Jonathan Coulter, HDFT’s Chief Executive, emphasised the importance of adapting to the changing healthcare needs of the population.
He said:
“As an organisation, we are focused on ensuring the quality of our services. We know there are many improvements we can make through developing new ways of working and introducing new forms of treatment.
"The Healthcare Innovation Hub is a clear indication of our intentions to drive healthcare development so that we can provide the best possible healthcare service.”
Dr Jacqueline Andrews, HDFT’s Executive Medical Director, highlighted the collaborative nature of innovation.
She said:
“Innovation is a team sport; it shouldn’t be done in isolation. This new Healthcare Innovation Hub will help bring people together and develop relationships that lead to better outcomes.
"HDFT has embraced research and innovation. The benefits are clear, our staff want to invest their time and efforts in this field, and we are already reaping the rewards.”
Sarah Armstrong, Chair of HDFT, added:
“It is important that we continue to meet the healthcare needs of our population in the future.
"The creation of this Healthcare Innovation Hub is a major step forward, providing a new way for organisations to work closely with our Trust to improve how we treat those in our care.
"It will play a pivotal role in driving innovation, creating new forms of treatment, and helping us achieve much more than we could by working alone.”
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