NENC Innovator featured on BBC with support of Pledge
May 2024 Newsletter
The May 2024 Newsletter is now available. Read our top stories below or access the full newsletter for the latest funding opportunities, events, and Pledgee news.
NENC innovator gets national BBC coverage, supported by the Health and Life Science Pledge
Last month, Aisha Purvis, Founder and CEO of Sensmart, showcased her innovative food menu to a national audience on BBC Morning Live. The multisensory menu is designed to help combat malnutrition and dehydration in people who are in hospitals or care homes, or living with a disability. It allows people to smell the food available, hear descriptions or read the menu in Braille or other languages.
Jody Nichols, Associate Director for Health Innovation North East North Cumbria (HI NENC), also appeared in the feature and spoke to Dr Ranj Singh. Jody spoke about the support HI NENC has provided Aisha to pilot the idea within the NHS and the positive impact that the innovation has had on patients so far. Several organisations from the regional health and life sciences ecosystem have also supported Sensmart, emphasising what can be achieved through collaboration.
Watch the Sensmart film on BBC iPlayer at 35 minutes and 14 seconds.
Leading health and life science professionals attend DxNE Conference
In April, the Health and Life Science Pledge team attended the Diagnostics North East (DxNE) conference which focused on the theme ‘How can diagnostic innovation be the saviour of the NHS?‘. The Catalyst in Newcastle upon Tyne welcomed over 170 professionals from healthcare, academia, industry, funding, and governance.
Attendees heard from keynote speakers, including Professor Sir Munir Pirmohamed from the University of Liverpool, Dr Edoardo Gaude from UpFront Diagnostics and Sir James Mackey, CEO of Newcastle Hospitals.
Jody Nichols, Associate Director for HI NENC said: “It was a pleasure to attend such an iconic NENC diagnostics events, with some amazing key speakers and interactive workshops. The NENC Health and Life Science Pledge team spoke to many of the delegates and raised awareness of upcoming Pledge activities”
Have you developed an innovative health solution? Enter the Bright Ideas in Health Awards today!
Health innovators from the North East and North Cumbria are being urged to submit their bright ideas to an annual awards competition. The Bright Ideas in Health Awards is now open for entries across ten categories.
Organised by HI NENC, the awards are open to individuals and teams from across the NHS, including those in primary and secondary care, universities, and regional businesses and organisations working within the health sector.
It’s free to enter and winners will receive a cash prize and support from innovation experts at the HI NENC to progress their ideas.
The deadline for submissions is Wednesday, 31st July 2024.
Exploring digital healthcare solutions
The Digital Healthcare Show in April brought together over 2,000 leaders in Digital, Tech, Data, Innovation, and Transformation from public and private healthcare at ExCeL London. Highlights included discussions on the five year roadmap for the NHS app, remote monitoring in liver disease, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Technology Enabled Care (TEC).
In attendance was Rachael Forbister, Digital Transformation Programme Manager at HI NENC. Speaking on the event, she said: “What a fantastic two days. Brilliant content split across the different theatres and an opportunity to have some real conversations with stall holders on their products. From Body Swap, Skin Analytics, Access, Whzan, Doccla and 2iC-Care. I was particularly impressed with the AI focus and understanding what this means to healthcare.
“A great event attended by myself and HI NENC’s, Anne Richardson, where we were able to divide and conquer to get the most out of the conference as well as be inspired.”