NHS England has established an Executive Innovation Programme to promote the development of innovation across the healthcare system. The programme aims to identify, train and mentor senior innovation leaders, empowering them to implement and disseminate innovation in their organisation and the wider NHS.

With the NHS facing many pressures, including widening demographic changes, increased prevalence of long term conditions, rising costs and constrained budgets, new, innovative and cost-effective solutions are required to improve care.

The high profile innovation programme is backed and supported by NHS England’s Chief Executive, Simon Stevens, Sir Bruce Keogh, National Medical Director, Dr Mahiben Maruthappu, Senior Fellow, Chair and Chief Executive’s office and Miles Ayling, Director of Innovation.

The innovation programme will include four core components which will support the development of innovations for selected candidates. These are:

1. A one week intensive training course
2. Ongoing mentorship and support for one year from an experienced team of mentors. Quarterly meetings will also be held at the host institution for participants and mentors to meet, discussing progress and lessons learned.
3. Provision of support and resource by partner organisations
4. A 2016 NHS Innovation Summit to take place one year after the launch of the programme, to showcase outputs from the programme and implemented innovations.

The programme is scheduled to formally open in November. NHS England is looking for a leading healthcare institution to support the delivery of the programme, including hosting the training course, quarterly meetings and the 2016 NHS Innovation Summit.

We are looking for an institution that can help with the following:

• Co-leading on articulating and achieving our vision, particularly focusing on the dissemination of effective innovations with real patient benefit
• Providing resource to support the programme, including logistic and administrative support, rooms and facilities
• Generation of commercial partnerships and sponsorship for the programme.

Institutions can apply to host the programme by submitting a covering letter. This should articulate how your organisation could deliver the programme, give specific examples which demonstrate your skills to support this and provide an overview of the type and amount of support you would be able to dedicate to make this programme a national success. Please submit application letters by email to england.innovation@nhs.net. Please contact us via this email address if you have any questions. The closing date is Wednesday, 29 October.