THE AHSN NETWORK

There are 15 Academic Health Science Networks (AHSNs) across England, established by NHS England in 2013 to spread innovation at pace and scale.

We support our health and care partners to deliver improvements that:

lead to better patient outcomes
drive down the cost of care, and
stimulate economic growth.

As the only organisations that connect NHS and academia, local authorities, the third sector, industry and citizens, we are catalysts working to create the conditions needed to facilitate change across whole health and social care economies, with a clear focus on improving outcomes for patients.

AHSNs work collaboratively, identifying and supporting the successful development of innovations in our local regional healthcare communities and helping to spread these across our national Network.

AHSNs work locally and benefit from being part of a national network.

Each AHSN is embedded in its regional health and care community, understanding the system and patient needs on the ground. We develop projects, programmes and initiatives that reflect the diversity of our local populations and healthcare challenges.

Each AHSN is also part of the national AHSN Network, linked into a unique collaborative of expertise and experience, sharing learning, pooling intelligence, and benefitting from a pipeline of emerging and proven solutions from around the country.

This means we are uniquely placed to identify and spread health innovation at pace and scale; driving the adoption and spread of innovative ideas and technologies across large populations.

Our shared priorities across the AHSN Network are:

Adoption and spread:
atrial fibrillation, emergency laparotomy, ESCAPE-pain, PINCER, PReCePT, Serenity Integrated Mentoring, and Transfer of Care around Medicines
Delivery of the SBRI Healthcare programme
Delivery of the NHS Innovation Accelerator (NIA)
Delivery of the Patient Safety Collaboratives (PSCs)
Supporting uptake of products on the Innovation Technology Payment (ITP)
Stimulating economic growth through the Innovation Pathway and the Innovation Exchange
Transforming digital health and maximising the potential of artificial intelligence (AI)
Working with researchers and research funders
Optimising the use of medicines.

In addition, we work collaboratively as an AHSN Network to:

Support clinical and commercial innovators
Support the NHS England Test Beds
Develop and deliver a national wound care strategy.

Ours is not a short-term challenge but, as our latest AHSN Network publication demonstrates, our collective impact to date has been significant. We are already making a difference for patients and the public, for innovators, for clinicians and for the healthcare system.

Follow the links below to find out more about how AHSNs are supporting system-wide health transformation.