NHS InSites Programme
Driving innovation for the future NHS
About us
What is NHS InSites?
A new approach to innovation
Innovation has long been part of the NHS story—but today’s fast-evolving healthcare environment makes the process more complex than ever. Success now demands not only technical expertise but also a deep understanding of the everyday realities facing healthcare teams.
At NHS InSites, we believe the best ideas come from those on the frontline. That belief drives our unique, innovation programme, peer-led by 18 member sites, and designed to harness collective insight, energy, and support. By empowering entrepreneurs and enabling organisations to adopt their innovations, we help deliver the highest standards of care where it matters most.
Our aims
Programme Aims
The NHS InSites Programme has four main aims:
The testing and evaluation model has been co-developed by the participating Innovation Sites (InSites), NHS England, and Mid and South Essex (MSE) ICS – who host the Programme Management Office and Coordination Hub for the NHS InSites Programme.
- NHS InSites brings together member organisations representing over 155,000 staff and serving more than 35 million patients across the UK. This scale means the blueprints and insights we develop have the potential to make a real difference across the wider NHS.
- Our pilot phase focused on proving the value of a programme like NHS InSites—validating the need for a collaborative, system-wide approach to innovation adoption. It also inspired our members to share and scale innovation across a trusted peer network, all with the goal of improving patient care.
- We’re proud to work alongside national partners including the NHS Clinical Entrepreneur Programme, the NHS Innovation Accelerator, and the Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI). Together, we’re combining insights and experience to shape future innovation policy and drive meaningful change across the NHS.
Key Partners
Anglia Ruskin University
ARU were appointed as delivery partners for the NHS CEP in December 2020.
Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust
MSE FT is a partner of the NHS CEP and lead the Programme Management Office / Coordination Hub for the NHS InSites Programme.
NHS England
NHS InSites Programme is funded and commissioned by the Innovation, Research, Life Sciences and Strategy (IRLSS) Team in NHS England.
Innovation Sites
18 NHS sites across England have partnered together to design and deliver the first two phase of the NHS InSites Programme.
Innovation Sites
The 18 sites span across England and are working side by side to align processes, share intelligence on implementation, build capability within their sites and test/evaluate innovations to meet the needs of their populations. Together, they have interacted with more than 320 innovators, supported 150 projects in the pipeline and transitioned 43 projects to Business as Usual.
Learn More
Our Team
Meet the InSites team based at Mid and South Essex Foundation Trust.
Publications
Contact the team
Interested in finding out more?