Open now – Targeted and time limited call out to identify solutions that can help de-bias the scoring and stratification systems across three clinical settings.  

In this unique collaboration, the NHS Innovation Accelerator (NIA) is proud to be supporting NHS England and the NHS Race and Health Observatory (RHO). The aim is to drive ground-breaking innovations that target key areas of healthcare disparities, aligning with the Core20PLUS5 approach and other NHS England and RHO priority areas. This will be delivered through a time limited and targeted call out for applications to the NHS Innovation Accelerator. 

NHS England and the NHS Race and Health Observatory, supported by the NHS Innovation Accelerator, are seeking innovation proposals addressing healthcare inequalities, especially in relation to population groups and major conditions in NHS England’s Core20PLUS5 approach to reducing healthcare inequalities and additional NHS England and RHO priority areas. 

Inequalities in the healthcare landscape continues to present significant challenges in key areas, which include – but are not limited to – maternity, sickle cell disease management, and elective care. These critical themes demand innovative solutions that can improve outcomes and ensure better healthcare experiences for individual, and families affected by these conditions. 

Open now – Targeted and time limited call out to identify solutions that can help de-bias the scoring and stratification systems across three clinical settings: Maternity, Sickle Cell and Elective Care.  

The impact of inequalities in scoring, stratification and assessment in these three clinical areas is shown in several recent reports: 

  • In maternity, black women are four times more likely than white women to die in during or up to six weeks after the end of pregnancy, says the seventh annual report from MBRRACE-UK (Mothers and Babies: Reducing Risk through Audits and Confidential Enquiries). Additionally, data from the NHS Outcomes Framework Indicator shows that babies born in the most deprived quintile of communities are more than 1.5 times more likely to be stillborn or suffer neonatal death compared to the least deprived quintile, contributing to 473 more stillbirths in the most deprived quintile in 2020 alone.  
  • In elective care, according to a Nuffield Trust report from 2022 looking at impact of lost activity during the pandemic, elective procedure rates fell by 49% in the Asian group; an additional 8% drop in procedures compared to the White group. The impact of this is exacerbated by pre-pandemic elective procedure rates, with Mixed, Asian and Black groups all having lower rates of procedures than the White group, at 8,033, 9,661 and 10,433 per 100,000 people respectively, versus 11,366 per 100,000 in the White group. 
  • Sickle cell disease occurs predominantly in people of African and African-Caribbean origin and affects between 15,000 to 17,000 patients in England, mainly in the London, Birmingham and Manchester areas. The No One’s Listening report (2021) from the Sickle Cell and Thalassaemia All Party Parliamentary Group inquiry cites frequent reports of negative attitudes towards sickle cell patients and a weight of the evidence suggests that such attitudes are often underpinned by racism.

The aim of this time limited and targeted call out for applications to the NHS Innovation Accelerator is to drive ground-breaking s innovation that targets key areas of healthcare inequalities, aligning with the Core20PLUS5 approach and other key priority areas for reducing healthcare inequalities e.g., elective waiting list and Sickle Cell Disease. In this unique collaboration, the NHS Innovation Accelerator (NIA) is proud to be supporting NHS England and the NHS Race and Health Observatory (RHO). The application window is open now and will close on 31 July at midnight. Applications need to be submitted via https://nhsaccelerator.com/apply and comply with the NIA standard of submissions, which can be found in the NIA FAQs. Solutions will be reviewed by independent assessors and the core team of this initiative.   

Applicants will undergo the identical NIA pre-screening, NICE and MHRA input and maturity review as per the usual application process for the NIA Fellowship, minus the last stage of interviews. By doing this, the NIA team ensures that anything put forward by the collective selection committee is mature and ready to be implemented.   

Selected companies and individuals can look forward to an array of compelling benefits and opportunities. The selected participants will gain connection with the 7 ICSs currently participating in NHS England’s Core20PLUS Accelerator programme. These ICSs have received funding and support from NHS England and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) to develop and enhance their healthcare inequalities improvement knowledge and skills, meaning they are best-placed to facilitate adoption and scaling of selected innovations. Companies will also gain a fast track to NIA fellowship interviews in January 2024, which if successful will mean they become an NIA Fellow, providing a unique chance to showcase their innovations and connect with influential healthcare stakeholders.  

The three leaders of the teams involved in this callout share their excitement to work together to meet this important need. 

Prof. Bola Owolabi, Director of the Healthcare Inequalities Improvement Programme at NHS England says, “Innovation is critical to enabling NHS England to achieve its ambitions in reducing healthcare inequalities. On my travels across the country, I have seen first-hand some of the innovative projects being delivered on the ground, and this is a great opportunity to see what can be spread and scaled. I look forward to seeing what new ideas and solutions come in to help us drive progress for the individuals and communities most at risk of healthcare inequalities.” 

Dr Habib Naqvi MBE, CEO of Race and Health Observatory says, “The last three years have reminded us again of the stark and long-standing ethnic and racial inequalities that exist across healthcare. We need to do things differently to get equitable outcomes for our diverse populations, and that includes tackling the root causes of these disparities, including racism and bias, through innovative, cutting-edge, and pioneering interventions. Through its independent and objective lens, the NHS Race and Health Observatory is committed to providing and supporting practical solutions to some of the wicked challenges that we face across health and care.”

Konrad Dobschuetz, National Director NHS Innovation Accelerator says, “The NIA whole team is absolutely delighted to work with the HIIP team and the RHO on this. We want to make a difference every day and frankly, this sort of stuff in combination with our ongoing Fellowship programme is why we get up in the morning. The NIA supporting the teams is a huge honour for us bringing in our skills and expertise in finding mature solutions.”