What Health Innovation West of England does

Health Innovation West of England is one of 15 Health Innovation Networks (formerly Academic Health Science Networks, AHSNs) licensed by NHS England and hosted by the Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust. Founded in 2013 and rebranded in October 2023 following a five-year relicensing, the organisation acts as the convening and innovation arm of the NHS in the West of England, working across NHS provider trusts, three Integrated Care Boards (Healthier Together Partnership, BSW Together, One Gloucestershire), three regional universities (Bath, Bristol, UWE), healthcare innovators and the patient/public community to identify, develop and spread proven healthcare innovations.

Its core portfolio combines a digital platform, learning resources, clinical programmes and evaluation services. The Innovation Exchange is a self-serve digital front door for healthcare innovators offering business services, funding opportunities and registration for innovation-team support. The West of England Academy provides free toolkits, events and online learning. Clinical programmes include the PERIPrem perinatal care bundle (~3,000 premature babies), PreCiSSIon (25% SSI reduction post-caesarean, 6,000 mothers), the National Polypharmacy Programme (engaging all 42 ICBs and 84 communities of practice), Non-Invasive Ventilation Care Bundle (mortality reduced from 28% to 22%), Black Maternity Matters (161 professionals) and the Patient Safety Collaborative. Service offerings include Digital Transformation (Secure Data Environment, RPA, remote monitoring) and Evaluation and Insights, structured into analytics and evaluation divisions with NIHR ARC West partnership.

The operating model is publicly funded and not commercial in the conventional sense: NHS England provides core funding, supplemented by Office for Life Sciences grants for the Innovation Exchange. Services to NHS providers, ICBs and healthcare innovators are delivered free of charge. The organisation grew 2023-24 -> 2024-25 in volume metrics (235 to 273 innovators supported; £475.8m to £490m leveraged nationally) and is currently rolling out ADOPT (with Salisbury NHS FT) and a cross-regional Treating Tobacco Dependency programme (with Health Innovation East Midlands), while investing in corporate development and strategic partnerships leadership capacity. Revenue figures are not publicly disclosed.

Name

Health Innovation West of England

Legal name

Health Innovation West of England

Website

https://healthinnowest.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Health Innovation West of England is a publicly funded NHS-hosted innovation network that operates the Innovation Exchange, West of England Academy, Patient Safety Collaborative and clinical programmes (PERIPrem, PreCiSSIon, Polypharmacy) to accelerate adoption of proven healthcare innovations across NHS trusts, integrated care boards, universities and health tech innovators in the West of England.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Healthcare Innovation Network Services

NAICS

Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (54171)

SIC

Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Health Systems Strengthening & Global Health Technical Assistance (BPADAEAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Patient Education, Content & Personalized Journey Orchestration (HLACAEAE), Data, Surveillance & Digital Public Goods Partnerships for Global Health (HLAJAOAN), Health Access & Social Care Innovations (Community Health, Telehealth for Underserved) (BPAGALAG)

Keywords

• Healthcare innovation network
• NHS innovation adoption
• Patient safety programmes
• Clinical improvement services
• Innovation commercialization support

Headquarters

HQ city

Bristol

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. NHS Government Funding: Health Innovation West of England is a government-funded organization relicensed by NHS England from October 2023 for five years. The organization operates as part of Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust and receives funding to support healthcare innovation across the West of England region.

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Health Innovation West of England identifies, develops, and deploys healthcare innovations across the NHS by connecting providers, integrated care systems, universities, industry innovators, and patients. It delivers the Innovation Exchange platform for innovator support, the West of England Academy for learning, the Patient Safety Collaborative, and clinical programmes covering perinatal care, surgical site infection prevention, polypharmacy, and non-invasive ventilation, alongside evaluation and digital transformation services.

Product overview

Health Innovation West of England operates as a healthcare innovation network (formerly West of England AHSN) offering a portfolio of interconnected platforms, programmes, and services. The core offerings include the Innovation Exchange platform (digital front door for innovator support), the West of England Academy (learning and resources), and the Patient Safety Collaborative. These are complemented by clinical programmes including PERIPrem (perinatal care bundle), PreCiSSIon (surgical site infection prevention), the National Polypharmacy Programme, NIV Care Bundle, and Black Maternity Matters initiative. Service offerings include Digital Transformation Services (supporting NHS digital strategy including Secure Data Environment and RPA) and Evaluation and Insights Services (analytics and evaluation support). The Commercialisation Academy provides accelerator support for health innovators. The organisation provides toolkits and resources including Quality Improvement tools, PReCePT resources, NEWS implementation toolkit, and ReSPECT training. This is a platform-plus-programmes model rather than a single software product, focused on healthcare innovation adoption and patient safety improvement across the West of England.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• West of England Academy: Free Academy resources including events, toolkits and online learning to gain essential knowledge and skills for innovative thinking and improvement in healthcare.
• Innovation Exchange
• West Side Stories

Products and services

• Innovation Exchange A comprehensive digital platform providing the front door to all business support services for healthcare innovators. Offers access to funding opportunities, business development programmes, online toolkits, and networking resources. Connects innovators with NHS challenges, clinical input, and industry partners. Targeted at healthcare start-ups, SMEs, and clinical entrepreneurs developing health and care innovations.
• West of England Academy A free learning and development platform providing resources, toolkits, guides, videos, and networks to support innovation and improvement in healthcare. Includes Creative Problem Solving Toolkit, Field Guide to Improvement, events, online training, and evidence and evaluation resources. Targeted at healthcare professionals, innovators, and quality improvement practitioners.
• Patient Safety Collaborative A collaborative programme hosted by Health Innovation West of England that brings together NHS providers and commissioners across the West of England to deliver objectives set out in the NHS Patient Safety Strategy. Supports National Patient Safety Improvement Programmes in maternity/neonatal, medicines safety, system safety, and managing deterioration.
• PERIPrem (Perinatal Excellence to Reduce Injury in Premature Birth) A unique perinatal care bundle launched in April 2020 to improve outcomes for premature babies across the West and South West regions. Aims to reduce stillbirths, maternal and neonatal mortality, and serious brain injury. Has benefited nearly 3,000 premature babies and is now being delivered across Wales and other parts of England. Targeted at neonatal and maternity units.
• PreCiSSIon (Preventing Surgical Site Infection) A quality improvement programme to reduce the incidence of surgical site infection after colorectal surgery and caesarean births. The caesarean birth programme achieved a 25% reduction in SSI rates across five acute maternity units, with 6,000 mothers treated.
• National Polypharmacy Programme: Getting the balance right A multi-year national initiative (April 2022 to September 2025) designed to address clinical risks associated with problematic polypharmacy. Engaged all 42 Integrated Care Boards across England, creating 84 communities of practice to help healthcare professionals identify patients at potential risk of harm.
• Non-Invasive Ventilation (NIV) Care Bundle Quality improvement programme to improve care for patients receiving acute non-invasive ventilation. Helped reduce mortality rates from 28% to 22% across the West of England, saving over 100 lives.
• Digital Transformation Services Support for NHS digital strategy by embedding in local systems, connecting digital evangelists, sharing knowledge, and promoting innovation opportunities. Includes work on South West Secure Data Environment, Robotic Process Automation, remote monitoring in care homes, and system-wide Advice and Guidance systems.
• Evaluation and Insights Services Team embedded within programmes providing analytics services (metrics, monitoring, pathway redesign, dashboards, statistical analysis, data visualization) and evaluation services (literature reviews, service evaluation, theory-driven evaluation, qualitative data collection, rapid evaluation). Structured in two divisions with evaluation and analytical services.
• West of England Commercialisation Academy A free eight-week programme designed to help health and care innovators scale and achieve wider adoption. Provides mentorship, strategic guidance, and opportunities to collaborate with fellow innovators and engage with decision-makers. Has produced NHS Innovation Accelerator Fellows.
• Toolkits and Resources Library Co-created resources with partners and member organisations including Quality Improvement tools, PReCePT resources, National Early Warning Score implementation toolkit, ReSPECT implementation training, Emergency Department safety checklist, Proactive Care Frameworks, SHarED implementation resources, and Working Together public involvement toolkit.

Quantifiable outcome

• 273 innovators supported in 2024-25, leveraging £490 million and creating 912+ jobs nationally
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers21 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Salisbury NHS Foundation TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 May 2026Strategic partnership to launch ADOPT (Accelerating Deployment of Proven Technologies) programme. Health Innovation West of England collaborates with the Trust's clinical and operational teams to map adoption processes and identify opportunities for improvement. The partnership aims to create an accelerated pathway for bringing proven technologies into everyday practice, with insights to be shared nationally.
• Health Innovation East MidlandscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 May 2026Joint partnership to launch a Treating Tobacco Dependency programme across West of England and East Midlands. The initiative aims to optimise the NHS Model Tobacco Pathway by leveraging digital technology (SMS messaging) to increase inpatient engagement with stop smoking services and medications, bridging hospital and community care.
• Health Innovation WessexsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on wider portfolio of innovation support activity at Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust, which the ADOPT programme will feed into and inform.
• Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealth Innovation West of England is part of Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust. The Trust serves as the host organization for the health innovation network.
• NIHR Applied Research Collaboration West (ARC West)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerEstablished partnership for evaluation and research collaboration. ARC West is a partnership between University of Bristol, NHS trusts, and local authorities focused on applied research in health and social care.
• Office for Life SciencessupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerGovernment department providing funding for the Innovation Exchange platform. Works with health innovation networks to support life sciences sector growth and innovation adoption.
• Health Innovation South WestsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the South West Health and Life Sciences Cluster Development Initiative, along with GW4 Alliance and South West Life Sciences. Collaborative effort to map and support the regional health and life sciences ecosystem.
• GW4 AlliancesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with GW4 (University of Bath, University of Bristol, University of Exeter, Cardiff University) as part of Cluster Development Initiative for South West health and life sciences.
• South West Life SciencessupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Cluster Development Initiative to support the South West health and life sciences sector ecosystem, working alongside health innovation networks and universities.
• Avison YoungsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommissioned to produce independent report on South West health and life sciences sector landscape using AI-driven methodology to map approximately 4,000 health and life science entities.
• NHS EnglandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLicensed by NHS England from October 2023 as one of 15 health innovation networks. Receives national commissioning for patient safety, transformation, and innovation programmes.
• AHSN Network / Health Innovation NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of the national network of 15 health innovation networks (formerly AHSNs) operating across England with shared mission to accelerate innovation adoption in the NHS.

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• UCLPartners: London-based Academic Health Science Network with a comparable mission of accelerating research and innovation adoption in the NHS, supported by universities and NHS trusts in its region.
• Health Innovation South West: Fellow Health Innovation Network member covering Devon, Cornwall and Somerset, collaborating with the subject company on the South West Cluster Development Initiative.
• Health Innovation Wessex: Fellow Health Innovation Network (formerly Wessex AHSN) operating in Wessex with the same NHS-licensed model of spreading proven innovation across the region. Listed as a direct collaboration partner in the data.
• NHS Innovation Accelerator (NIA): NHS-affiliated accelerator programme for proven healthcare innovations, with overlapping mission of spreading high-impact innovations through the NHS. Several NIA Fellows have come through the subject company's Commercialisation Academy.
• Health Innovation East Midlands: Fellow Health Innovation Network member operating in the East Midlands with matching NHS England mandate and innovation adoption mission. Currently in joint programme partnership with the subject company.
• Health Innovation Manchester: Fellow Health Innovation Network member covering Greater Manchester with the same NHS-licensed innovation adoption model. Operates with similar portfolio of evaluation, patient safety, and innovator support.
• Imperial College Health Partners: London-based Academic Health Science Partnership with a similar mandate to drive healthcare innovation, evaluation, and adoption across the Imperial College and NHS ecosystem.

Broad incumbents

• National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR): UK government-funded national health and care research organization with broader R&D and clinical trial remit. NIHR ARC West is a partner in evaluation work for the subject company.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/weahsn
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/west-of-england-academic-health-science-network

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles24 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Health Innovation West of England