Lenus digital service for early heart failure diagnosis shortlisted for Innovate Award

The Academic Health Science Network (AHSN) and NHS Confederation have come together for the first time through the inaugural Innovate Awards to celebrate the spirit of innovation shown by health and care when faced with unprecedented pressure.

This new awards programme was designed in response to the pandemic to tap into the unrivalled networks of the AHSNs and NHS Confederation in order to shine a light on the very latest innovative practice and share this knowledge with leaders who can ensure adoption at scale and pace.

Judges evaluating the submissions commented on the impressive and inspirational work taking place. Upon reviewing hundreds of entries across 10 categories, the collaborative entry by Lenus Health, AstraZeneca UK, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC), University of Glasgow, and West of Scotland Innovation teams was selected as one of the best in the 'Outstanding Collaboration with Industry' category.

The shortlisted entry, entitled 'Fixing Heart Failure', features the Optimised Pathway for Early Identification of Heart Failure in the Community (OPERA) project and describes the co-design process and successful early results achieved by remapping the service pathway to best utilise the Lenus platform and data integrations.

Ed Piper, Medical & Scientific Affairs Director, AstraZeneca UK, said, “We are thrilled that the OPERA project is a finalist for the ‘Outstanding Collaboration with Industry’ Innovate Award. At AstraZeneca we believe purpose-led partnerships with Academic and NHS partners can drive healthcare system changes that benefit patients.

"The OPERA project dramatically reduced waiting times for patients with suspected heart failure from 12 months to under six weeks, allowing earlier diagnosis and treatment with the evidence-based treatments required to optimize future outcomes. It has been a fantastic example of how partnership working can deliver innovative solutions to drive clinical practice change and provide equitable access to high-quality care.”

The OPERA project was recently highlighted by the First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon, in her opening remarks at Scotland’s Innovation-led future event in Edinburgh stating, “[OPERA] is ensuring more people diagnosed are able to receive the treatment they need as quickly as possible.

“All of that is hugely beneficial for patients and I think does illustrate just how cutting edge the NHS, working with partners in Scotland, already is and how much potential there is to build on that success.”

Professor David Lowe, Clinical Innovation Lead for the West of Scotland Innovation Hub and Consultant for Emergency Medicine at NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said, “Early diagnosis of heart failure and rapid treatment is crucial in reducing the risk of hospitalisation and death. The OPERA trial invited patients awaiting clinical review to a rapid multidisciplinary diagnostic service, ensuring that those diagnosed with heart failure could be started on treatment improving outcomes. Through digitisation of the heart failure diagnostics service in NHSGGC, we have been able to revolutionise the way we work to provide equitable and more timely access to heart failure diagnostics and heart failure care.

“OPERA is a great example of how NHS collaboration with academic and industry partners can impact on patients in a positive way. We will look to build on the momentum of this, and our other successes, to play our part in making the NHS the country’s most powerful driver of innovation to improve the lives of patients and the general public.”

Paul McGinness, Chief Executive Officer, Lenus Health, added, "We are delighted that the digital transformation enabled by Lenus has been recognised by the AHSN Network and NHS Confederation for an Innovate Award. This is especially encouraging as OPERA is also the first project being considered for national rollout across Scotland under a recently announced landmark partnership between NHS, academia and industry.

"We hope that the Innovate Awards are successful in their efforts to champion and drive adoption of innovative projects like OPERA across the UK to build a stronger health and care system for everyone."

Judges for the 'Outstanding Collaboration with Industry' Award include:

• Helen Hoyland, Enterprise and Innovation Lead, YHAHSN
• Simon Evans, Strategy Director, Royal Wolverhampton
• Professor Simon Skene, Professor of Medical Statistics, University of Surrey
• Stephanie Elsy, ICB Chair Designate, Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire ICS

These experts will face a difficult decision selecting a winner among the high quality projects shortlisted. Winners for each of the ten categories, with an 11th grand prix prize, recognising the overall innovation champion of the year selected from among the winners, will be announced at a ceremony in London to be held on September 29, 2022.

Notes to Editors:

For more information, please contact Natalie Chishick (natalie@silver-buck.com) on behalf of Lenus Health

About the Innovate Awards

The Innovate Awards is a collaboration between the AHSN Network, which operates as the innovation arm of the NHS in England and acts as the collective voice of the 15 academic health science networks (AHSNs); and NHS Confederation, the membership body, representing healthcare in the UK.

Lenus Health

Lenus Health helps unlock the existing health data silos to facilitate more efficient and effective care pathways, with a focus on the most challenging long-term conditions. Our interoperable platform underpins digital services to enable more streamlined clinical workflows and allows providers to do more with their existing IT infrastructure, enhanced by wearable and device integrations. The platform is proven to act as a test bed for innovation used to operationalise AI tools and generate unique structured datasets. Transforming the end-to-end pathway for chronic disease creates a more sustainable system with patients at the centre of their care journey. Learn more by visiting www.lenushealth.com and following @lenushealth on Twitter.

NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) is the largest NHS organisation in Scotland and one of the largest in the UK, employing around 39,000 staff. NHSGGC is responsible for providing and managing a whole range of health services including hospitals and General Practice. Serving a population of 1.14million people, NHSGGC works alongside partnership organisations including Local Authorities and the voluntary sector.

University of Glasgow

The University of Glasgow is a top world 100 University (THE, QS) and the current Times and Sunday Times Good University of the Year 2022. The University is a member of the prestigious Russell Group of leading UK Universities and has annual research income of more than £180m. As a world-leading, research-intensive University, the University of Glasgow is committed to contributing towards the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and has committed to carbon neutrality by 2030. Glasgow was the first UK University to declare it would divest from fossil fuels within a decade and the first in Scotland to declare a Climate Emergency. 

In 2021, the University of Glasgow received a Queen’s Anniversary Prize for its national service to the Covid-19 pandemic.

AstraZeneca

AstraZeneca is a global, science-led biopharmaceutical company that focuses on the discovery, development, and commercialisation of prescription medicines in Oncology, Rare Diseases, and BioPharmaceuticals, including Cardiovascular, Renal & Metabolism, and Respiratory & Immunology. AstraZeneca operates in over 100 countries and its innovative medicines are used by millions of patients worldwide. AstraZeneca is based in six different locations across the UK, with its global headquarters in Cambridge. In the UK, almost 8,000 employees work in research and development, manufacturing, supply, sales and marketing. We supply 34 different medicines to the NHS, which treat more than one million UK patients every year. For more information, please visit www.astrazeneca.co.uk and follow us on Twitter @AstraZenecaUK.