Guidance and Top Tips for Patient Innovators

Creation

● Start somewhere! Start small, create a minimum viable product or prototype - you can ‘test’ whether your innovation is helpful early on with a small group of people. Ask yourself: Is my innovation unique? Does it solve a problem? Will it help improve processes or save money? Once you have thought of an idea you can put it through the NHS Innovation Service who will review your current needs and match you with organisations that can help.

● Perfectionism. Beware perfectionism! Your innovation will (and should!) change significantly as you go through development and testing processes, so resist spending too much time creating a ‘polished product’ very early on.

● Time. Be aware that bringing an innovation to market will take a long time and may require personal financial investment. Think carefully about whether you have the time, motivation and resources to commit to this?

● Patient Journey. Remember your own experience may not reflect every patient’s journey. Can you access patient communities and support groups to ensure you have a deep understanding of the problem your innovation aims to solve?

● Networking. Networking can be key to success! Talk about what you are doing as much as you can and take the opportunity to meet new people - you never know who you could find yourself speaking to (and who they might know, or how they could help you!).

Development

● Be open minded. Seek feedback and prepare to be challenged! Feedback about your innovation will vary. It will be positive and negative and will probably instigate several changes of direction. This is all part of the process so enjoy the ‘wins’ and do not feel disheartened. Remember - you hold focus groups for a reason!

● Iterate. Expect your innovation to go through several iterations before it becomes viable. The final version will probably look and feel quite different to what you imagined when you got started.

● Skills. What skills do you already have (or have access to) to help develop your innovation? What can you learn? What skills and expertise do you need to bring in from elsewhere? If you do not have the skills for something, can you make a paper-based prototype to explain how it would work once built? Remember networking can be key to building a team who have all the skills your innovation requires to be a success!

● Digital services. Could you use an existing third-party software service to create a prototype app or website? However, be cautious and read through privacy and data handling and processing information – some companies may process data in the United States so might not be GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) Compliant. Click here to find out more about UK Data Protection Regulation.

● Funding. Do desktop searches to identify funding organisations for healthcare innovations. There will be local, regional and national opportunities. UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and the Health Innovation Networks are a useful place to start. Sign up to their mailing lists. Organisations might appear to have plenty of funds, but that money will be allocated for certain purposes at certain times. Be tactical in the way you approach these organisations.

Evidence

● Why? Do you have evidence to support why your innovation is needed? Do you have evidence that it works and patients or health care professionals value it? This might be enough to get the right people on board - you do not always need to have a finished product or answer for every question.

● Simplify. Gathering evidence does not necessarily need to be an extensive, peer reviewed process. Can you access relevant quantitative data that already exists? Do not underestimate the value of qualitative data from your volunteers / testers.

● Incentive. Patients and service users are often willing to share their experiences and take part in focus groups and studies. However, if you are struggling with recruitment, you can offer a small financial incentive (around £25 - £50 per participant). Be prepared to cover reasonable costs incurred by participants.

● Cost saving. Even if your innovation could save the NHS money, it does not necessarily mean it will be adopted.

Regulation

● Start early. Think about formal product regulation early on in development of your innovation. Some regulations will require you to have kept records for a period of time, so it’s worth starting to build these records of what you have done and who you have spoken to as early as possible.

● Be resilient. Depending on what your innovation is, be aware that obtaining regulation might be one of the biggest challenges you face. Try to be patient and resilient as it is an ongoing challenge that is usually surmountable with time and effort!

● Experts. If you are new to regulation and standards, expert help can help minimise stress when it comes to obtaining and complying with regulations. It is a worthwhile investment but can be expensive, but correctly interpreting and applying regulations can be a challenge!

● Other routes. Think about whether it is really necessary to obtain regulation for your innovation. Can it be adjusted so that regulation compliance is not required? For example, reducing the amount of patient data your innovation carries could mean the regulations governing GDPR would not apply.

Commissioning and adoption

● Scale. Commissioning and adoption does not have to be on a national scale - the vast majority of innovations are not commissioned nationally. This certainly does not mean they are less valuable or successful.

● Charity Sector. The charity sector is a great testing ground for patient innovation, and access to patient groups - can you get traction there? Working with charities who are used to NHS processes can also help.

● NHS. Prepare for NHS adoption to be a part of your longer-term vision.

With thanks to Patient Innovators Seb Tucknott, Alex Charlton, Brad Gudger and Innovators on the Patient Entrepreneur Programme Jen Rose, Will Jackson, Kirsty Hill.

Published at February 28, 2025