Finalist
Stepping up the innovation debate
Summary of work
The Government’s flagship initiative to support innovation in healthcare, Innovation, Health and Wealth (IHW), had the potential to provide clear benefits to the healthcare industry as well as to the NHS and patients. Ensuring its implementation was critical to both Sanofi and MHP. This presented the opportunity to work in partnership to further our separate, but complementary corporate communication objectives. Delays in action across the NHS were causing concern – and so we set out to reinvigorate the programme without undermining progress and goodwill. Step change? An analysis of early implementation of Innovation, health and wealth in the NHS provided the evidence of delays – and acted as a catalyst to revive the programme. The report was welcomed by the healthcare industry as making a vital contribution to the debate around IHW and the Government acknowledged the need to ‘raise awareness of the potential of IHW with all leaders in the new NHS system’. Government announcements intended to drive forward local implementation of IHW and show further progress followed.
Judges’ comments
This was a solid, intelligent and bold leadership strategy that raised standards, keeping people on their toes and delivering a call to action. It was a really interesting partner approach, with great joint objectives and excellent alignment of stakeholders.
