Job Description

Are you passionate about driving innovation in health and care?

The NWL Health Innovation Fellowship offers a unique opportunity for NHS professionals to step into a system level role in health innovation, working as a Senior Innovation Advisor with Imperial College Health Partners (ICHP) - Health Innovation Network. Additionally, you will be supported spend approx. 20% of your week focusing on your personal and network development.



About the Fellowship



This 12-month secondment is designed to empower NHS staff to lead and support impactful innovation projects across the health and care system. Fellows will work on real-world challenges, supported by ICHP's expert team and extensive networks.



Support and Commitment

Applicants must:

Be employed by a NWL NHS organisation or one of our member organisations

Have the support of their line manager and organisation for a 12-month secondment

Be committed to returning to their substantive role after the fellowship to apply and embed the learning and experience gained



Who Should Apply?



We welcome applications from NHS staff in North West London, including:



Clinical professionals (nurses, midwifes, AHPs, doctors, pharmacists)

Operational and transformation roles

Public health and service improvement professionals



What You'll Gain



Leadership and innovation development opportunities

Experience working across organisational boundaries with system partners

A strong peer network and opportunities to shape the future of health and care

This is a full-time role, structured as follows:

4 days/ 30hrs per week :

Project delivery and innovation work

1 day/ 7.5hrs per week :

Personal and professional development, including attending local, regional, and national events such as NHS Confed Expo , networking with peers, innovator/ industry engagements, and engaging in learning opportunities



The role of Senior Innovation Advisor is to support complex change by bringing energy, expertise, and empathy to bear in the development, execution, and management of innovation projects.



The role primarily supports project delivery, drawing on skills and practices relating to problem definition, scoping and planning, research and analysis, project management, and reflecting and learning .

The post-holder will work on several (e.g. two-to-three) external projects at one time. This will include a mixture of shorter-term projects (of circa six to twelve weeks), and projects within longer term programmes of activity (circa twelve months).



The post-holder is responsible for leading specific elements of a project (such as research, analysis, and materials production) , working with significant self-direction; and for providing support to successfully manage the completion of the project to time and within the allocated resources.

Imperial College Health Partners (ICHP):

Imperial College Health Partners (hosted by Chelsea and Westminster NHS Foundation Trust) is a partnership organisation bringing together NHS providers of healthcare services, clinical commissioning groups and leading universities across North-West London. We have been designated by NHS England as the Health Innovation (HIN) for North-West London, and we are one of 15 HINs across England which make up The Health Innovation Network.



We were created by the NHS to support complex change across the health and care sector - innovating and collaborating for a healthier population. We work collaboratively on a portfolio of innovation projects known as the NW London Missions. These have been identified as:



Optimising care of long-term conditions (starting with CVD)

Enabling more days at home

Supporting children and young people's mental health

We also deliver national commissions such as:

The Patient Safety Collaborative (PSC), which aims to address key safety issues and achieve better clinical outcomes and experience for patients across NW London, by embedding quality improvement methods; strengthening ways of working; and sharing good practice across the system

The Innovation Exchange, which focuses on supporting innovators and industry partners



General expectations



You will be working across a complex set of relationships, challenges, and innovations to contribute to service transformation. You will be able to think laterally, build strong trusted relationships quickly, and work as a productive team member. You will bring an appetite for analytics, evidence, and learning in everything you do and have an ability to understand new subjects rapidly. In particular, the Senior Innovation Advisor is expected to:



- Demonstrate behaviours that live our organisational values of collaboration, courage, quality, and impact



- Show a commitment to learning, self-reflection, appraisal, and development, including undertaking a Personal Development Plan annually



- Operate in an environment of significant complexity and ambiguity, taking time to understand the context of the operating environment and demonstrating good judgement (including seeking counsel from others when needed)



- Exhibit a curiosity about the work going on across the organisation, and share with others, internally and externally, impactful work that ICHP supports to enable innovation and resolve complex problems



- Actively seek to participate in available project opportunities, with an approximate expectation of being involved in project work for up to 80-85% of your time, and working on several projects at any one time (with a mix of longer-term and shorter-term projects). This is not a formal performance metric, but a rule-of thumb to guide decisions about workload and resourcing.



The description of the role is generic, without reference to specific projects or programmes, which will change over time. Postholders will be assigned to specific projects and programmes during the year, in line with the objectives and development plan agreed each year. Postholders will be expected to work in project-based 'matrix' teams, working with colleagues drawn from across the organisation.



Please see further information in full job description PDF.