Introducing the Innovation Agency
Meet our Chief Executive Dr Phil Jennings, describing the role of the Innovation Agency
Who we are and what we do
The Innovation Agency supports the discovery, development and deployment of innovations and improvements in health and care across Cheshire, Merseyside, Lancashire and South Cumbria.
The innovations we support are ideas, services, products and processes which improve health and the quality of care and drive costs down.
Part of 
We’re the Academic Health Science Network (AHSN) for the North West Coast, one of England’s 15 AHSNs in the AHSN Network.
We work closely with other AHSNs and the AHSN Network - working together to spread innovations nationally and share best practice.
Commisioned to deliver national programmes
We are commissioned by NHS England and NHS Improvement and the Office for Life Sciences and lead on National Patient Safety Improvement Programmes (NPSIPs) in our region as well as national programmes selected by the NHS Accelerated Access Collaborative.
Find out about our programmes >
Supporting innovators and businesses
We deliver support to innovators and small to medium-sized businesses whose healthcare products have the potential to achieve improvements; developing their innovations and their ability to access the NHS .
Our Health Matters programmes aim to grow the economy in the North West Coast by increasing investment, funding and jobs across health and care. These programmes are part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund and the Northern Powerhouse.
We also work with the top innovation businesses from around Europe as well as globally by working in partnership with EIT Health.
Working with health and care organisations across the system
We’re embedded with the health and care partnership and integrated care systems in the region, so we understand needs at a system level and can navigate innovations to the frontline.
This puts us in a prime position to join things up, deliver and demonstrate impact.
Innovation and health connected brochure >
Collaboration and culture
Our Coaching Academy delivers a variety of learning experiences aimed at building a healthy culture for developing, spreading and adopting innovations.
We also lead and support on many events and innovator communities designed around clinical specialisms, innovating, quality improvement, place and programme and leadership.
Public Involvement
Ensuring people’s views are heard is essential for developing and delivering better healthcare services. We encourage everyone in our region to find out more about the work of the Innovation Agency and have their say on how we spread innovations and improvements.
Our goals
The Innovation Agency has three goals as set out in our 21/22 business plan. These goals are:
- Increase the spread and adoption of innovation through collaboration
- Develop cultures that promote equity and allow innovation to thrive
- Stimulate economic growth and create jobs in the health and life sciences sector
Our goals are the result of consultation with our partners and key stakeholders about the needs of our region matched with our capabilities and complementing other organisations.
We understand the needs of our health systems and are well placed to broker innovative solutions, while collaborating across England to take what works best and quickly spread it nationally, responding to the diverse needs of patients and our population through partnerships and collaboration.
Our work is overseen by a Board of partners who help to shape our plans, provide insight into the needs of the region and act as our ambassadors for innovation.
Our region
Our region covers Cheshire, Merseyside, Lancashire and South Cumbria, with around 4.1 million residents. We work with two integrated care systems, NHS providers, universities and a large number of life science companies and small to medium size businesses, as well as networks of voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise organisations.
Our teams collaborate with our partners to deliver transformations and improvements in healthcare.
Our values
Caring
Collaborative
Courageous
Engaging all voices
Innovative
