When clinicians consider alternative careers to working within NHS Scotland, some opt for a move into clinical innovation and entrepreneurship within the health and life science sector, home to many of our country’s most successful start-ups.
Scotland is undoubtedly a pioneer in this vibrant area, boasting one of the largest life sciences clusters in Europe, with projections suggesting the country will have an £8 billion industry just two years from now.
However, as we look to build an NHS that is fit for the future, it is no longer about choosing a traditional career path over alternative options. Both can co-exist and flourish, enhanced by an exchange of knowledge where one informs the other for mutual benefit.
We at InnoScot Health have been a formal partner of NHS Scotland for the past 20 years, working to identify, protect, develop, and commercialise healthcare innovations that improve patient care.
We have helped many talented and driven individuals to achieve such ambitions whilst they have remained active within healthcare. Paul Swinton, co-creator of SCRAM™ (Structured CRitical Airway Management), is a great example.
He first came to us whilst working as an Air Ambulance Paramedic at the Scottish Ambulance Service. Since then, we have worked with him to expand the SCRAM portfolio, which now extends to nine variants used by teams around the world.
Yet, despite the portfolio’s success, he is still proud to work as a Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) paramedic alongside being the National Education Lead for the Scottish Air Ambulance Service.
Such scenarios are not unusual, and our role is to help busy healthcare professionals manage clinical and personal commitments alongside their entrepreneurial ambitions.
Dr David Brennan, now full-time CEO of our 2015 spin-out Aurum Biosciences, is another positive example. For a number of years, David balanced his NHS career, working in the field of MRI, alongside his work to support Aurum develop breakthrough therapeutics and diagnostics in areas of unmet clinical need.
Meanwhile, Dr Matthew Freer, a consultant anaesthetist, is also CEO and co-founder of Infix Support – a clinician-led, cloud-based tech company focused on improving the efficiency of surgical operating theatres and tackling patient wait lists.
All of these entrepreneurial healthcare professionals have shown that bringing together their business and healthcare knowledge can deliver great patient benefits.
Continuing to harness health service-inspired expertise, InnoScot Health is proud to be associated with this year's NHS Clinical Entrepreneur Programme (CEP) – a forward-thinking group of collaborative organisations supporting 12 Scottish innovators.
Alongside this, many more opportunities are emerging to establish a positive culture of innovation and entrepreneurship across the NHS. The recently announced link-up between the Scottish Government’s £42 million Techscaler programme and the health service, is enabling entrepreneurs to work alongside clinicians to test ideas, products, and services.
Initiatives like these are key to the future of Scottish healthcare, and vital to inspiring entrepreneurial staff with the power to bring ideas and expertise back into the health service for a more innovative tomorrow.
Graham Watson is Executive Chair of InnoScot Health
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