Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust is committed to be an innovative organisation whose employees are at the forefront of developing Intellectual Property (IP) in the form of novel ideas, research and technology that can improve healthcare delivery and patient benefit.  The Trust has a responsibility to manage its IP and provides staff with access to specialist expertise and resources through membership of TrusTECH, the NW Innovation Hub and MIMIT (Manchester Integrating Medicine and Innovative Technology). Advice is available on how to protect the IP, how to develop the idea further and the options for taking it to market including market research, finding commercial partners and negotiating licence agreements. Over the last few years, a range of Trust employees including researchers, clinicians, nurses and other professionals have been helped and several inventions are being developed commercially.  The Trust retains ownership of any IP developed by employees but as part of its IP policy operates a reward scheme that returns a proportion of any proceeds from the commercialisation of IP back to the inventors.  

Any Trust member of staff who thinks they may have an invention or idea should contact one of the following for advice:
    
Trust IP Lead -  Dr Geoff Warhurst Tel: 0161 206 4403; Email

TrusTECH     - Dr Joanne Thomas, Senior Technology Manager Tel: 0161 276 6965; Email

Here at Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust we are very proud of th Intellectual Property. A couple of examples of success stories can be found below:

Computerised Pathology Information Sharing System

A computer programme has been developed to enable the pathology results for renal patients to be downloaded from the pathology department at one site to another; the data has been set up to enable easy and secure transfer between sites. The test results are linked to the appropriate patient; this has been facilitated by using NHS patient numbers. The system is a secure, locked system.

Renal patients received treatment on different healthcare sites; for example, a patient may attend two or more different hospitals for clinics, as well as their GP. Prior to the development and implementation of this computer programme, access to patient’s pathology test results (blood/microbiology) were available to the originating treatment centre only. This resulted in patients requiring duplicate tests in different centres, or bureaucratic sharing of paper-results with attendant administrative delays and inefficiencies; all of this led to treatment delays and subsequent worsening symptoms for patients, added to the inconvenience of having to attend multiple appointments.

The developers of this system have advised that it could also be useful for all pre clinic blood tests across specialties with tertiary responsibilities such as renal, neurology and dermatology.

The developers have agreed to share this system and the knowledge of how to set it up with others, to encourage other pathology laboratories an Trusts to introduce similar systems.

To summarise the main benefits of the system include:

 

Nurse-Led Generic Vascular Research Management Service

The service is led by an Advanced Practitioner and is positioned within renal services; many case are complex with multiple co-morbidities. The objectives of the service are to slow, or halt disease progression and to ensure the early management of conditions in order to prevent the development of further complications and to reduce the risk of morbidity and mortality.

In addition to referrals from renal physicians, referrals are received from peers across renal services and other specialities (including dialysis, transplantation and chronic kidney disease or diabetes specialists) with ‘difficult to manage patients’. All patients on the active case load receive ongoing intervention; clinical, social and psychological issues are addressed and multi-disciplinary collaboration is promoted. Patients are referred back to the sole care of the renal physician when their condition has improved or stabilised, or when national targets have been met.

The service places great emphasis on generic vascular risk management and risk reduction whilst maintaining and/or promoting a godd quality of life for all patients. Needs are met and admission to hospital is prevented whenever possible. Patients have continuity of care as the clinic is managed by one Advanced Practitioner and supported by one Associate Nurse Specialist

Salford Royal Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust