How the Hegenberger Retractor supports careful, dignified postnatal repairs
Blog article
For perineal specialist midwife Malene Hegenberger, a challenge encountered repeatedly in practice became the starting point for a new innovation in postpartum care. After finding it difficult to achieve a clear view and maintain access when examining and repairing perineal tears following childbirth, Malene developed the Hegenberger Retractor, a device designed to gently hold tissue…
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Empowering pharmacists for healthier futures
Blog article
To mark World Pharmacist Day on Friday 25 September 2026, Rosie Marchant, Pharmacist Clinical Lead at Health Innovation West of England, reflects on her career as a pharmacist, her journey to becoming Clinical Lead for our work as part of the Health Innovation Network’s on-going cluster, Preventing Problematic Polypharmacy, and how the programme is helping…
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Health innovation in action
Blog article
Marking the publication of Health Innovation West of England’s new impact report for 2025-26, our Chair and Vice-Chancellor of the University of the West of England, Steve West, and our Chief Executive, Natasha Swinscoe, reflect on a year of transformative progress in embedding innovation into everyday care. Over the past year, Health Innovation West of…
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Do you see me? Reflecting on what it truly means to be seen in healthcare
Blog article
To mark Learning Disability Week, Monday 15 June – Sunday 21 June 2026, Kim Huelin, Project Support Officer reflects on the importance of truly “seeing” people with a learning disability in healthcare; not just providing access to services, but understanding individual needs. Drawing on personal experiences supporting her sister and her work with the South…
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Cooking up change in the Academy test kitchen
Blog article
In healthcare, generating innovative ideas is rarely the challenge – ensuring those ideas are successfully adopted and spread is where the real work begins. In this blog, Nathalie Delaney uses a creative “test kitchen” analogy to explore how innovations can move beyond their place of origin and achieve meaningful, system-wide impact. Drawing on practical examples…
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Redefining ‘the system’: moving from transaction to co-creation in health innovation
Blog article
In this blog, our new Associate Director for Strategic Partnerships and Delivery, Logan Ryan, challenges us to reconsider who needs an equal seat at the table when we’re planning how to transform health and social care services and unlock impactful innovation. When we talk about the ‘system’, we often use the term as a catch-all…
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A look back at the Respiratory Showcase
Blog article
Mohua Siddique, Senior Innovation Advisor at Health Innovation West of England, reflects on the recent Respiratory Innovation Showcase, an online event on 3 March hosted for the NHS in collaboration with our neighbouring health innovation networks in the South of England. Mohua discusses what the selected innovators achieved, what attendees gained from the event and…
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Navigating AI regulation in UK healthcare: practical guidance for innovators
Blog article
Artificial intelligence continues to reshape what’s possible in healthcare, but ensuring innovations are safe, trusted and adoption-ready remains a critical challenge. In this final blog of our series following Health Innovation West of England’s Designing AI Healthcare Solutions webinar, we hear from regulatory expert Sam Bacon of SGB QA/RA Consulting Ltd. Drawing on his experience…
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In conversation: Jan Scott, Senior Programme Manager – Patient Safety
Blog article
In the latest in our series of interviews with members of the Health Innovation West of England team, we talk to Senior Programme Manager, Jan Scott, who leads our patient safety programmes. Jan reflects on her career so far, the work she’s passionate about, and the impact in patient safety we’re collectively striving to make across…
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In conversation: Natasha Swinscoe
Blog article
In this interview, Natasha reflects on her 31-year career in the NHS, in which – across those three decades – the one absolute constant has been change. Natasha discusses her journey from a general management trainee to her leadership role in the Health Innovation Network and considers the crucial link between innovation and improvement, as…
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