Benefits, Testimonial & Impact
Benefits
The Health Innovation Expedition is multi-faceted. The original aim for developing the course has been met - to introduce potential innovators to the innovation process, to understand how to complete disclosure forms appropriately, to facilitate better relationships with technology transfer staff and to be able to have the confidence and tools to be able to research a problem and develop a robust solution concept.
But beyond this, we've demonstrated some unexpected benefits and impact. The Health Innovation Expedition approach introduces a range of outcomes way beyond just a training course. We've demonstrated network creation, creation of solutions that have been and are being developed to real clinical unmet need, new collaborations, better understanding between clinical and research specialties, demystifying research (it's not the realm of PhDs), the development of new approaches to helping staff process new ideas, and even helping early career researchers find a new direction in life!
Additionally for organisations and institutions this course addresses and meets:
The Topol Review
To educate NHS workforce to understand innovation and be more receptive to new ideas as well as develop their own without duplication of effort - collaboratively.
The NHS Long Term Plan
A focus on increasing staff understanding of improvement knowledge and skills.
Teaching Excellence Framework
The course adds to the TEF for students at any level. Employability through understanding different markets, employment opportunities and communication and teamwork skills. The course was used at Sheffield Hallam University as part of the extra curricular innovation award recognised at graduation
Testimonial
Testimonial - Talking Heads Videos
- Coming Soon - Videos from the 2025 course at Doncaster & Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust -
Lincoln University and the East Midlands Community for Allied Health Professions Research network (2023-2024).
In June and July 2024, we ran the "Season 2" of course for the Allied Health Professionals Network in the East Midlands and Lincoln University researchers. The cohorts from the past two years are organically forming a meaningful Innovation Champion Network across the region. To see some of the feedback please click on the links below. These will open on the University of Lincoln website:
In June and July 2023, we ran "Season 1". This was a big event and has caused a huge positive stir in the East Midlands region. To see some of the feedback please click on the links below. These will open in a new tab on our YouTube channel:
Sheffield Hallam University Pre-Reg Students (2018)
Here are some of the students from the June 2018 cohort who have gone on to start careers in the NHS from Sheffield Hallam University talking about their experiences of the course. These will open in a new tab on our YouTube channel:
Testimonial - Clients and Host Organisation Facilitators
I've delivered The Health Innovation Expedition for the Faculty of Health and Wellbeing at Sheffield Hallam University and for the Medtech Foundation & Translate:Medtech (a consortium from the Universities of York, Leeds, Leeds Beckett, Bradford and Huddersfield). Most recently I have delivered the course for Lincoln University and the East Midlands Allied Health Professions Network. In 2025 the course will be delivered to Doncaster & Bassetlaw NHS Foundation Trust and Bradford University.
Kirsten Guy
AHP Research Lead for Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire Community Health Services NHS Trust & University of Lincoln
I have worked with Fabian for the last year as he brought his Health and Care Innovation Course to the East Midlands, hosted by the University of Lincoln.
The course was a great success and has inspired new innovators from across the East Midlands. Fabian is an expert in his field and a fantastic teacher, with a novel and fun teaching style. It has been a pleasure to be surrounded by his passion and enthusiasm, it is infectious!
Professor Heidi Probst MBE
Professor of Radiotherapy and Oncology
Faculty of Health and Wellbeing, Sheffield Hallam University
It is great working with Fabian on the Research and Innovation course which is based on his Health
Innovation Expedition.
His passion for the course is infectious.
The course participants leave enthused, elated and keen to start on their own innovation expedition in their place of work.
The course covers all aspects of the innovation pathway and I love teaching on this course with Fabian, it is my favourite
Dr Danielle Miles
Technology Innovation Manager
Translate - Grow:Medtech
I have worked with Fabian now for two consecutive years on the Translate bootcamp for early career researchers, and I strongly believe that Fabian's knowledge of medtech innovation, real life experience and boundless energy has greatly helped to make the bootcamp the success it is. Fabian always puts more than 100% into the course delivery and his ability to deliver what could potentially be some dry content in an engaging way with tireless enthusiasm is second to none.
A lot of participants approached me at the end of the boot camp to thank me for an excellent 3 days and to commend Fabian as a tutor, I don't think it would have been the same without him.
Tom Wright
MMRS Senior Innovation & Commercialisation Officer
Medilink, North of England
This is an excellent course which prepares delegates with the tools and knowledge required to understand and navigate the innovation landscape from within the NHS.
As a professional working with companies of all sizes on medical innovation, I was extremely impressed with the quality of work presented to us as Dragons and believe that the experience the delegates had will be invaluable as they embark upon careers as innovators in healthcare
Impact
The Lincolnshire Research and Innovation Hub - Lincolnshire Improvement for Everyone (LIfE) was officially launched at Lincoln University on 17th April 2024. The hub is a virtual place to bring together the Lincolnshire public, health and care staff, university colleagues and other partners to grow research and innovation in Lincolnshire (and elsewhere) for everyone’s benefit. One of the outcomes from the 2023 course at Lincoln was the creation of this LIfE Hub. The course may have only been the catalyst, but it was a great honour to have been part of it!
We have had one innovation implemented at United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust that has reduced hospital complaints. It was published as a news article by the BBC.
Acknowledgements
I have based this course on my personal experience of innovation in health. But it also uses a mix of different models including the Fourth Innovation model (Gijs van Wulfen), The Stage Gate Model (Robert G. Cooper) and Business Model Generation (Alexander Osterwalder & Yves Pigneur). I've had an enormous amount of support in being able to enhance the course with materials, case studies, videos and other content.
These people and people within organisations in particular have been amazing in enabling me to deliver a diverse and engaging course.
Full credit and acknowledgement is given in course materials to organisations who have helped and referenced to permitted use of copyrighted materials. It's basically a great (and free) means to promote your latest innovations and raise awareness about your organisation to the next generation of Medtech researchers and NHS staff.
Please note that the web links were correct as of March 2025! Thank you everyone.
School of Health, Wellbeing & Life Sciences, Sheffield Hallam University - School of Health & Social Care, University of Lincoln - Health Innovation North East and North Cumbria - Health Innovation East Midlands - Health Innovation Yorkshire and Humber - Tal Golesworthy, Exstent Ltd - West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust - South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust - NAViGO Health & Social Care CIC - The Kings Fund - The UK Intellectual Property Office - Zilico Ltd - Dr Patrick Trotter, Medilink North of England - Patient Experience Network - Moore Barlow LLP - ETC Toolkit - Solving Together - Health Tech Enterprise Ltd - PCMIS Improving Patient Wellbeing (University of York) - Thrive by Design - NIHR Surgical MedTech Co-Operative - NIHR Research Support Service - Dr Dominic Petronzi, University of Derby - Docabode Ltd - Gijs van Wulfen - Tom Gould - Philippa Hedley-Takhar - Thomas Wright - Dr Chris Smejkal