TheHill’s innovation pipeline process, established in 2021, ensures that the most promising digital ideas are championed to grow and scale, and directed to the right support within the trust.
This programme contributes to the overarching objectives of facilitating the adoption of digital innovation into the Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (OUH) and ensuring our processes are optimal to lead new approaches into the Trust’s innovation decision-making. Our connections to the broader ecosystem, developed through our other programmes, mean we are aware of digital innovations available in the broader ecosystem and are able to match these to identified needs.
TheHill supports OUH through our digital innovation programmes, which tie in to the Trust’s strategy through our aims to:
- Identify start-ups, companies and internal NHS innovations which have the potential for adoption into OUH
- Ensure these digital innovations meet the needs identified within OUH and NHS with sufficient data to demonstrate that they do
- Take innovations through the stages of presentation to the Innovation Panel
- Facilitate the establishment of pilots and research collaborations as approved by TAG, R&D and procurement at OUH.
TheHill’s Digital Innovation Pipeline provides a range of benefits to companies:
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Product assessment to help companies understand their product better
The pipeline process enables TheHill to assist companies in assessing their technology, and identify gaps and things they need to do, be it technical compliance or integration, or areas they may not have thought about in terms of design aspects, and also use cases for how the product might be used in different scenarios.
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Understanding what the NHS requires in terms of compliance
Companies do not always appreciate the kinds of hurdles they will be required to negotiate to demonstrate they, or their innovation, are suitable for the NHS to procure. This can be particularly true of non-UK companies. This varies depending on the product, but with the UK adopting its own alternative CE-mark shortly, there are implications which TheHill is in a position to offer advice on. More importantly though is the issue of software compliance – the Data Security and Protection Toolkit and the Digital Technology Assessment Criteria (DTAC) are two compliance areas we can provide advice on.
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Assessing suitability
Seeing whether they are suitable for OUH; this is where we start the engagement process with the technology and help companies pitch themselves in an appropriate way to stakeholders. Through the pipeline process we help them focus their product on the need and make sure that when the first engagement happens it is as successful as it can be.
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Innovation Panel
Our Innovation Pipeline is made up of six stages:
- Stage Zero – Initial triage: Reject, hold or progress to Innovation Panel.
- Stage One – Exploration & Review: Recommendation to develop project brief.
- Stage Two – Project Scope: High level project scope and identification of key stakeholders.
- Stage Three – Project Approval: R&D, governance and finance approval to submit paperwork & begin trial or service evaluation.
- Stage Four – Project Delivery: Evidence generation.
- Stage Five – Evaluation: Feedback on business case (if submitting).
- Stage Six – Adoption: Go-ahead and implementation.
Companies supported via the Innovation Pipeline will often be presented at OUH’s Innovation Panel. The Innovation Panel is an integral part of the Trust’s governance structure and continues to act as an advisory body on all innovations coming through TheHill’s pipeline. Individual innovations are reviewed by the Digital Innovation Panel as part of the triage process for the digital innovation pipeline. The panel meets on a bi-monthly basis, with representatives from key corporate teams. The panel recommends next steps for each innovation.
If you would like to find out more about our innovation pipeline or get a better understanding of how TheHill can support you, please complete our online triage form.