New funding available to support health and social innovation and improvements in the West Midlands 

The West Midlands Academic Health Science Network (WMAHSN) has announced that £20,000 worth of funding is available to support the spread and adoption of medical innovations in the region. 

Following a successful launch in 2020, the West Midlands Safety Innovation and Improvement Fund has been supporting the spread or adoption of healthcare innovations which has resulted in improvements for patients across the West Midlands.

Now once again, individuals and teams working in health and social care are invited to apply for funding of up to £20,000.

The new round of funding will provide the successful applicants with the support they need to implement their projects over a six-to-twelve-month period. The WMAHSN will also support teams to use Quality Improvement (QI) methods, helping them to make measurable improvements to patient care.

This year, the WMAHSN is looking for applicants that focus on:

• Managing patient/service user deterioration
• Medicines safety
• Maternity and Neonatal
• Mental Health
• COPD/Asthma, Other respiratory diseases
• Care Homes

Any individual or team working in health and social care within the WMAHSN’s geographical area is able to apply. This includes:

• Birmingham and Solihull
• Black Country and West Birmingham
• Coventry and Warwickshire
• Hereford and Worcestershire
• Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent
• Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin

Jodie Mazur, Head of Delivery – Safety and Improvement at the WMAHSN, said: “After the success of supporting the first cohort of teams through the Safety Innovation and Improvement Fund in 2020/21, we are delighted to be launching a second round.

“This is a great opportunity for teams from across the West Midlands region to access funds and support which will assist them in making improvements for their patients and service users.”

Louisa Davidson is a Consultant Midwife at Birmingham Women’s Hospital, which received funding in 2020 to improve a maternity service for expectant mothers. She commented: “The grant has provided us with the freedom to be innovative, explore otherwise unobtainable options, and has journeyed us to a place we weren’t expecting.

“The funding has made us feel excited and positive for a more sustainable and impactful change to benefit women and their families in the future.”

Applications for the funding open from Thursday 9^th December 2021 and close on Sunday 9^th January 2021.

To find out more information about the Safety Innovation and Improvement Fund and how to apply, please visit the Guidance for Applicants page. To submit an application, please visit the application page.

For any questions about the Fund, please contact Vicky, Patient Safety Assistant Programme Manager on [email protected].