Innovation, Research and Improvement System (IRIS)

Innovation, Research and Improvement System

Innovation, research and improvement are essential elements of a thriving health and social care system.

Innovation, research and improvement are essential elements of a thriving health and social care system. IRIS will be the front door into, and out of, our system and will facilitate system transformation and partnership working.

System Transformation

Our system needs a focal point for innovation, research and improvement to coalesce around. We are bringing innovation, research and improvement together because these domains are interconnect and alignment will enable us to capitalise on translating research findings into innovation and improvement.

IRIS will focus on bringing together what already exists in our system. We will harness existing networks, activity, and resources to create a system that encourages, promotes and enables research, innovation and improvement.

IRIS Virtual Hub

As a virtual hub for stakeholders, IRIS will provide visibility across the system, joining up activity and provide a space for sharing best practice. IRIS will bring together system partners and external stakeholders, including academia and industry, to create new opportunities and transform the delivery of health and social care. The IRIS virtual hub will:

Provide a point of contact for innovation, research and improvement
Engage with partners, academia and industry
Signpost and connect stakeholders
Broker new collaborations
Undertake demand signalling

IRIS Priorities

In addition to operating the virtual hub, there are three priorities for IRIS.

Innovation: Adopt and spread innovations that reduce follow up and enable patient initiated follow up (PIFU).

Research: Enable access to, and sharing of, data for research.

Improvement: Implement a system wide approach to continuous improvement.

Grand Challenges

IRIS will support prevention, population health management and tackling of health inequalities as we look to the future of health and social care, taking the opportunity to work as a system to develop sustainable solutions. Through the virtual hub IRIS will share our health and social care grand challenges and will work with partners to identify high priority areas where innovation, research and improvement can add value. The first two grand challenges that IRIS will focus its demand signalling function on are:

Start well: Early intervention mental health support for children and young people

Die well: Quality care at end of life for individuals across health and social care

IRIS Primary Care Research and Development Service

The Research and Development Service aims to promote and facilitate the local provision of high-quality research, making clinical research accessible to patients registered with a local GP. This will improve care, provide better quality services, and improve health outcomes for our local patients.

We provide information and advice to patients and public about what it means to participate in research and how they could get involved.

We can assist researchers to make sure they follow correct Health Research Authority (HRA) guidance, for example, how to apply for ethics approval.

We provide advice and support when carrying out research i.e., helping researchers to recognise the difference between research, service evaluation and audit.

We make sure researchers follow the correct research processes and regulations.

We provide strategic insight for Research and Development.

We help to identify funding opportunities and assist researchers with bids and research grants.

We support and facilitate access by staff to research training and education opportunities.

As a patient, researcher, clinician or academic looking for advice and guidance, please do not hesitate to contact us at hnyicb-ery.r-d@nhs.net

IRIS Team

Jaqueline Andrews – Clinical Lead

Becky Bibby – Programme Director

Tracey Daniels – Clinical Lead for Innovation

Claire Chilton – Clinical Lead for Research

Callum Schofield – Research Business Partner

Helena Teague – Innovation Business Partner

Hannah Parker – Improvement Business Partner

Maire Girdham – Research Support Manager

Tracey Wartnaby – R&D Primary Care Officer

Karen Lucas – IRIS Support Officer

Angie Beacroft – Administrative Assistant

Join the IRIS FutureNHS workspace, and/or one of our Communities of Practice:

This space is for any of our partners, across the system – so colleagues from Universities, Hospital trusts, Voluntary sector, Local authorities etc. It’s a place to share information and collaborate, inform colleagues of events and upcoming funding opportunities.

We have three communities of Practice, one for each area, Innovation, Research and Improvement, each run every 8 weeks or so, and give colleagues the chance to collaborate, share best practice, learn about new opportunities. These are online meetings, with occasional face to face events. Please use the form to request to join them.

To join you will need to provide a work email address, ending in gov.uk, or ac.uk, or nhs.net, etc
If you wish to join the IRIS FutureNHS workspace, please complete the form to request access here:
IRIS Community of Practice & FutureNHS Sign up form

Your can also find us on LinkedIn.