NHS to get innovation injection

NHS trusts are set to receive a cash injection of ?8 million to help develop innovative medical devices and procedures to improve patient care.

In total 29 bidders have been awarded cash from the government’s Public Sector Research Exploitation (PSRE) initiative, which aims to bring research to the market.

Regional innovation centres known as NHS Innovations Hubs were big recipients of the cash.

The NHS Innovations London, run by Barts and the London NHS Trust, took ?1.5 million, NHS Innovations South East led by Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust got ?1 million and Salisbury Health Care NHS Trust’s NHS Innovations South West received ?995,000.

Dr Maire Smith, the Department of Health’s national director of intellectual property, said: “The role of the NHS Innovation Hubs are to ensure that good NHS ideas stay within the NHS so that patients, inventors and their trusts get the full benefit.

“I’m delighted that the work of so many hubs has been recognised through this funding award and I look forward to those involved reaping the benefits of NHS innovation”.

The hubs were originally set up by the Department of Health and co-funded by the Department of Trade and Industry (Office of Science and Technology) and the regional development agencies.

Other awards included ?1.7m to the Chelsea & Westminster Healthcare NHS Trust to enable them in collaboration with Imperial College and ?750,000 to MidTECH, the West Midlands NHS Innovations Hub.

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