Innovation Agency launches coaching academy for health professionals

A coaching academy has been launched in England to help health and social care professionals introduce new innovations and improvements to the workplace.

The Innovation Agency’s academy is open to people working in the NHS, universities, voluntary and other public sector organisations within the areas of Cheshire, Lancashire, Merseyside and South Cumbria.

The aim is to improve the spread and adoption of new advances in healthcare and to create “a continuously improving healthcare workplace culture, using the best available strategies and techniques.”

Applications for the two programmes being run are now open.

‘Coaching for adoption and spread of innovations’ is a six-month programme which starts this month (January). Applicants will be taught practical skills for adopting new technologies, as well as means of overcoming the barriers usually associated with new ways of working.

Meanwhile, a nine-month training course for leaders of clinical teams begins in March. This will include workshops on improving and maintaining a positive workplace culture.

The Innovation Agency’s associate director for improvement and education, Juliette Kumar, said: “Innovation is something new that adds value, this could be shiny new tech or a new approach or system of care; but it isn’t a simple matter to introduce it into a health or care service.

“There are well-evidenced tools and strategies for helping staff to adopt innovations and implement changes in their workplaces, we will provide these tools through our new academy, and offer ongoing coaching and support as staff navigate the tricky waters of implementing innovations.

“Health and care services don’t always involve a simple transaction between one clinician and one patient; it involves multiple teams and professions and even the best ideas for improvement can fail if teams are not aware of both the technical and interpersonal challenges they will face as they prepare for change.”

The deadline for applications is 4pm on 16 February.

Back in November, the NHS Digital Academy, which aims to train digital leaders, opened its doors for applications.

The Academy is a virtual organisation which has been commissioned by NHS England and is being delivered by a partnership between Imperial College London, the University of Edinburgh and Harvard Medical School.