CW Innovation and DigitalHealth.London’s new Horizon Fellowship announces 20 Fellows

Staff leading innovation projects at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust to be supported by the programme

Today, the official charity of Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, CW+, together with the Trust and its delivery partner DigitalHealth.London, announces the twenty staff from the Trust who have been successful in gaining a place on the first ever Horizon Fellowship programme. 

Led by CW Innovation, the flagship innovation programme run jointly by CW+ and Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, the Fellowship aims to identify and nurture the next generation of innovators by supporting individuals who are embedded in the Trust and local healthcare systems and are leading an innovation project that will help to improve patient care and experience.

The first cohort of Fellows are all NHS or health related staff at/or connected with the Trust and represent a diverse range across the four Trust clinical divisions – Emergency and Integrated Care; Planned Care; Women, neonatal, children and young people, HIV/GUM and Dermatology; and Clinical Support. Fellows’ roles include health advisors, consultants, managers, nurses, dietitians, and physiotherapists.

The twenty Fellows will be given twelve protected days and CW Innovation will provide each Fellow with funding to support the delivery of their innovative project. Over a twelve-month period, the programme will equip the Fellows with new skills and knowledge, inspire Fellows by enabling them to hear about the art of the possible from others, and connect Fellows to like-minded peers and mentors.

The Fellows will have access to workshops, resources and events throughout the year to share challenges and experience, learn from experts and collaborate to co-design solutions.

They will hear from and be given the opportunity to ask questions of leading sector experts during taught modules on subjects ranging from change management and business case development to agile delivery and service improvement. Fellows will also be able to choose a mentor and be grouped into action learning sets with other Fellows working in similar environments on digital transformation projects.

Chris Chaney, Chief Executive at CW+, said: “We are delighted to announce the twenty talented Fellows from across the Trust who have been accepted onto our new Horizon Fellowship programme, which presents a fantastic opportunity to provide staff with the support they need to bring their innovation project ideas to life.  With such a diverse range of innovative staff, we are set for an exciting year ahead, which will see us rejuvenate how we work, helping improve patient care and experience across the Trust.”

Bruno Botelho, Deputy COO & Director of Digital Operations at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Congratulations to our newly appointed Fellows. We are committed to creating a culture of innovation, empowering our staff to drive forward their ideas is vital for better patient care. The Horizon Fellowship provides an exciting opportunity to nurture the next generation of innovators across our organisation and beyond”.

Miss Natalie Nunes, Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, said: “This fellowship couldn't have come at a better time. I am excited to connect with others and to learn how to help my project fly and improve patients’ experiences.”

The Horizon Fellowship programme builds upon the existing DigitalHealth.London Digital Pioneer Fellowship, which has already supported a number of Chelsea and Westminster Hospital staff members working on digital transformation projects.

Katya Masconi-Yule, Head of DigitalHealth.London’s Digital Pioneer Fellowship, said: “We are thrilled to be partnering with CW Innovation to deliver the first ever Horizon Fellowship programme and a huge congratulations to the twenty Fellows joining the first cohort. The Fellows, who are delivering a variety of truly transformational projects across the Trust, will be given the tools they need to drive development and adoption, and to ultimately improve staff experience and patient care across the organisation.”

For more information on the Horizon Fellowship and to see the full list of Fellows and browse their profiles visit https://digitalhealth.london/horizon-fellowship-cohort-1

ENDS

Notes to editors

• Interviews and further information

For more information, including interviews, statements and images, please contact nicola.jayawardene@cwplus.org.uk or megan.truman@nhs.net.

• About CW Innovation

The CW Innovation programme, led by Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and its charity CW+, identifies and delivers high-impact innovation initiatives that address some of the real-time challenges that healthcare organisations face today.

• About Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is one of the top ranked and top performing hospital trusts in the UK. We employ more than 6,000 staff over our two main hospital sites, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital and West Middlesex University Hospital, and across 12 community-based clinics within North West London.  We were rated Outstanding for Well-Led and Use of Resources by the Care Quality Commission.

Both hospitals have major A&E departments, treating over 300,000 patients in a typical year. (1) The Trust is one of the largest maternity services in England, delivering 10,000 babies last year. (2) Our specialist care includes the world-renowned burns service, which is the leading centre in London and the South East; we run Chelsea Children’s Hospital with paediatric inpatient and outpatient services; and our specialist HIV and award-winning sexual health care services.

We are an emerging leader for innovation within the NHS. Our CW Innovation programme is led jointly by the Trust and CW+ and has led to a number of successful projects adopted elsewhere in the NHS.

• DigitalHealth.London

DigitalHealth.London is a partnership between two of London’s Academic Health Science Networks - the Health Innovation Network and UCLPartners - and MedCity, focusing on accelerating the adoption of digital innovation by linking health and care organisations with digital health innovators for the benefit of patients and populations. It accelerates the adoption of digital innovations across health and care to improve patient and population outcomes and experience and supports a sustainable future NHS. It is supported by NHS England (London) and the Mayor’s Office.

For more information, please see digitalhealth.london

• DigitalHealth.London’s Digital Pioneer Fellowship

The Digital Pioneer Fellowship is a 12-month programme that supports NHS staff in London and the South East, to lead and deliver digital transformation projects.

For more information, please see digitalhealth.london/programmes/digital-pioneer-fellowship