Training scheme for innovative doctors opened up to healthcare scientists and dentists

An entrepreneur scheme for clinicians whose innovative ideas could lead to big patient benefits has been extended to healthcare scientists and dentists.

Over the last year 103 junior doctors have developed their ideas and business skills through the Clinical Entrepreneur programme. Applications are now extending to healthcare scientists and dentists.

The programme offers a range of support and education, including mentoring by leading medical technology innovators, to give potential entrepreneurs the business skills and industry knowledge they need to make their ideas come real.

Tony Young, NHS England’s National Clinical Lead for Innovative, said: “When NHS England and Health Education England designed this programme back in 2016, there was no avenue for entrepreneurial doctors to get the training they needed without leaving the NHS for the private sector. The Clinical Entrepreneur programme is reversing this brain drain for physicians and surgeons, but we have great innovative people throughout the NHS, and need to offer the same kinds of opportunities across all our clinical professions. Opening the programme to healthcare scientists and dentists is the first step of this rollout.”

Sue Hill, Chief Scientific Officer, said: “We are delighted to open up this fantastic opportunity to our Healthcare Scientists. This prestigious programme focuses on applying biology in healthcare applications, and is the next step to enabling scientists within the NHS to partner with and learn from leaders in industry, research centres and academia in order to translate discovery into clinical use for medical innovation within the NHS. Scientific innovation and entrepreneurialism is crucial in establishing new partnerships which ensure we have a sustainable and efficient NHS, now and into the future.”

Sara Hurley, Chief Dental Officer, added: “Innovative new programmes make a big difference. Oral health, especially among children, is a really important indicator of a person’s general health now and in the future, so the technologies supporting good dental care in the home will continue to have a huge role to play as they keep getting more sophisticated. In addition, safe and effective dental treatment and surgery is a priority for everyone, and we know that it is the people who are carrying out these treatments every day who are often the most able to identify better solutions. The Clinical Entrepreneur training programme will help us harness and develop those innovative people and, ultimately, to improve the services we deliver.”