Health research team covering Aylesbury wins place on prestigious national programme

The Research and Innovation Team at Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust have been awarded a place on the prestigious NHS InSites Programme. The national award recognises NHS trusts which are leading the way on healthcare innovations to benefit patients and staff.

A place on the programme means an additional £200,000 of funding per year to support the team’s work as well as a spot among a network of other trusts to share ideas and learning nationally.

Alongside participating in national studies, the team will be working on a range of different projects to find new and innovative ways of improving healthcare. One project is looking into the efficacy of drones delivering surgical equipment, while another is designing a virtual gym to help keep staff healthy, well and better able to support their patients.

Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust was one of only seven to be added to the original 10 from the pilot stage of InSites. The Trust’s Research and Innovation (R&I) Team supports research across two acute hospitals and within the community, with an established reputation for providing high quality NHS and industry research including Cancer, Cardiology, Gastroenterology, Maternity, Ophthalmology and Paediatric studies.

The InSites assessors praised the wide range of activities the Trust’s R&I Department undertakes to support innovations for staff through increasing digital skills, seed funding and hackathon opportunities, as well as their ability to work with external partners.

Chief Medical Officer Andrew McLaren said: “We are very proud to have been included in the NHS InSites Programme. This is a credit to our Research and Innovation Team and a wonderful opportunity for the Trust. Research and innovation across the Trust underpin the high quality, evidence-based care our patients receive. Being part of this national programme will stimulate more innovation, which will mean more cutting-edge treatments and access to advanced health technology for people in Buckinghamshire.”

Ryan Kerstein, Associate Medical Director for Innovation & Research, said: “This is a huge opportunity for our Trust. We are excited to have been recognised on a national stage for the exciting, leading-edge innovations we’ve been working on. We want Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust to be the go-to place for new medical technologies to benefit our patients and enhance the work of our colleagues.”