NMAHP Digital Innovation Festival: Growing ideas for better care in Greater Manchester
Last Friday, on the hottest June day ever recorded in Manchester, the University of Salford hosted the third Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health Professionals (NMAHP) Digital Innovation Festival, bringing together over 90 researchers, educators, clinicians, industry partners, service users, carers and students from the North West and beyond.
The festival is becoming a cornerstone for digital innovation in Greater Manchester, empowering NMAHPs to lead change and shape better, more connected care.
"Today was about all of us… our community, and the positive energy and passion that drives us forward.”
Dr Cristina Vasilica, PhD, FHEA, Associate Professor (Reader) Digital Health, Head of Digital Education at the University of Salford
Putting People at the Heart of Digital
A central theme throughout the day was clear: digital transformation must be grounded in real-world experience.
Service users and carers brought vital perspectives, reminding attendees that digital innovation must always be shaped by the people it is designed to support. Their contributions reinforced the importance of co-design, ensuring patients are involved in everything from early ideas through to implementation.
Creating a space for ideas to grow
Health Innovation Manchester was proud to support the event with an interactive Digital Innovation Tree, designed to capture frontline perspectives and identify common themes to inform future innovation priorities.
Throughout the day, attendees added their thoughts to the tree, building a collective picture of what matters most to the NMAHP community.
What emerged was a clear set of priorities as well as some real-world challenges. Many highlighted the difficulty of accessing timely, relevant patient information across organisational boundaries. Others pointed to the ongoing challenge of duplication of processes, such as recording the same information in multiple systems or navigating fragmented care pathways.
Alongside these practical challenges, the ideas reflected a shared ambition to:
- Improve access to timely, relevant clinical information
- Enable better communication and information sharing across services
- Deliver more joined-up, patient-centred care pathways
- Reduce duplication and simplify care processes
- Strengthen collaboration across health, care, academia and industry
Colleagues also shared what is needed to turn ideas into impact:
- Greater investment in digital skills and workforce development
- Stronger clinical engagement and feedback loops
- Support for co-design with frontline staff and patients
- A culture that supports innovation and continuous improvement
Reflecting the voice of the community
At the close of the festival, Darren Biega brought these insights back to the full audience, reinforcing a shared ambition across the NMAHP community to deliver more connected, patient-centred care through practical, scalable digital innovation.
“The conversations throughout the day reinforced the importance of creating spaces where people can share ideas, connect with others and help shape the future of digital health.”
Darren Biega, MA; RN (Adult), Clinical Lead Nurse Innovation – Clinical Office at Health innovation Manchester
From ideas to impact: supporting innovation at scale
The festival also showcased how organisations like Health Innovation Manchester are helping turn ideas into real-world impact.
Professor Jacqui Cooper, CNIO at Health Innovation Manchester, presented the organisation’s approach to supporting digital innovation, from identifying opportunities and building evidence, to evaluating solutions and scaling what works across the system.
This structured methodology is essential in ensuring that innovation is not only creative, but sustainable, evidence-based and capable of delivering meaningful improvements in care.
Why NMAHP leadership matters
Nurses, midwives and allied health professionals play a critical role in shaping the future of digital health.
They bring a deep understanding of patient needs, clinical workflows and the realities of care delivery. Their insight is essential to designing solutions that are practical, effective and truly improve outcomes.
The Digital Innovation Tree demonstrated that creativity, expertise and ambition already exist across the NMAHP community.
The insights gathered from the Digital Innovation Tree will now be reviewed by Health Innovation Manchester and partners to shape innovation priorities and support the development of NMAHP-led digital research and solutions.
