Driving Innovation in Healthcare: Key Takeaways from a tech4health x South Eastern Health & Social Care Trust (SEHSCT) Workshop
Dr Fiona Dixon - tech4health Business Development Manager - and team at the South Eastern Health & Social Care Trust in Northern Ireland recently held a hackathon style workshop - Driving Innovation in Healthcare. The workshop brought students and supervisors from the tech4health programme to the Quality Improvement Innovation Centre (QIIC) at the Ulster Hospital in Belfast to meet health service staff who are participating in an Innovation Fellowship. Two groups of brilliant minds coming together to explore one big question: How can tech be adopted in healthcare while keeping patients and staff at the heart of the process?
The Innovation Fellows included surgeons, obstetricians, physiotherapists and professional services staff from across the health trust, interested in integrating innovative solutions across the trust. The tech4health students and supervisors presented their PhD projects as potential new innovations and the question was posed - how would we integrate innovative solutions into SEHSCT to the benefit of staff and patients?
The discussion was rich and practical, and a few themes stood out:
✅ Collaboration is everything
Innovation doesn’t happen in isolation. It needs input from clinical teams, operational leads, finance, IT, governance, and—crucially—service users. External partners like DHCNI and trade unions also play a key role.
✅ Culture matters
Innovation can’t be a side project. It needs to be embedded in everyday conversations and team agendas. Champions within clinical areas can help drive this forward.
✅ Speed with safeguards
We heard loud and clear: the process is slow. To change that, we need to pilot, procure, and evaluate in parallel, while maintaining governance and compliance.
✅ Barriers are real—but solvable
From procurement hurdles and funding constraints to staff workload and training needs, these challenges require collective leadership and creative solutions. Exploring new funding models—like angel investors or project-based investment—could be part of the answer.
✅ What’s in it for you?
For adoption to succeed, every stakeholder needs to see the value—whether that’s improved patient experience, reduced workload, or better outcomes.
The takeaway? Innovation isn’t just about technology—it’s about people, processes, and culture. When we get those right, the opportunities for better care are huge.
💡 Want to be part of this journey?
We’re building the tech4health programme to turn these ideas into action. If you’re passionate about driving innovation in healthcare get in touch. Let’s make change happen together.
SEHSCT Innovation fellows and tech4health students discuss innovation implementation in the health trusts