Who we are
The NHS Innovation Service is made up of a collective of organisations that all play a part in supporting and assessing innovations along the journey from an idea to implementation and scaling.
The organisations behind the service
Below is a list of the organisations that use the NHS Innovation Service. These organisations have a variety of offers for support, guidance, and assessment of healthcare innovations. Through this service, they reach out to innovators they believe they will be able to work with.
| The Academic Health Science Network (AHSN) | A network of 15 regional organisations established by NHS England to spread and adopt innovation at pace and scale across health and social care, and connects NHS and academic organisations, local authorities, the third sector and industry. |
| Medical and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) | An executive agency sponsored by the Department of Health and Social Care, which regulates medicines, medical devices and blood components for transfusion in the UK. Recognised globally as an authority in its field, the MHRA plays a leading role in protecting and improving public health and supports innovation through scientific research and development. |
| NHS England Specialised Commissioning | Specialised services are commissioned by NHS England to deliver cutting-edge care for rare disorders and complex medical conditions, and are a catalyst for innovation, supporting pioneering practice in the NHS. |
| NHS Supply Chain | Part of the NHS family, NHS Supply Chain manages the sourcing, delivery and supply of healthcare products, services and food to the NHS and healthcare organisations in England and Wales. Our long term vision is to make it easier for the NHS to put patients first through being easy to work with, driving healthcare value, excelling in procurement, connecting supply chains, and being guided by data. |
| National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) | Produce evidence-based guidance and advice for the NHS, public health and social care practitioners to improve outcomes for people using the NHS using these services. They also develop quality standards and performance metrics for those providing and commissioning health, public health and social care services, and provide a range of information services for commissioners, practitioners and managers across health and social care. |
| National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) | UK’s largest funder of health and care research, working in partnership with the NHS, universities and local government. |
| Department for Business and Trade (DBT) | Help UK life sciences companies to do business overseas and support foreign life sciences companies to invest in the UK. |
| Health Technology Wales (HTW) | A national body working to improve the quality of care in Wales. They collaborate with partners across health, social care and the technology sectors to ensure an all-Wales approach and cover any technology or model of care and support in health and social care that is not a medicine. |
| Life Science Hub Wales (LSHW) | Support collaboration between innovators, NHS Wales, social care and academia accelerating the development and adoption of innovation. |
| Scottish Health Technology Group (SHTG) | National health technology assessment (HTA) agency providing advice to NHS Scotland on the use of new and existing health technologies (excluding medicines) that are likely to have significant implications for people’s care. |