New Health and Social Care Innovation Fund: Too Long; Didn't Read.

On Monday 7th March the Minister for Health, Social Services and Public Safety launched a consultation on a new Health and Social Care Innovation Grant Scheme.

The scheme was co-designed with representatives from the voluntary and community sector and through a number of co-design workshops in October and November 2015.

The full consultation document along with supporting documents is available from the Department's website. 

The consultation questionnaire contains 14 questions with a further four in the EQIA. The deadline for responses is 3rd June 2016. 

Funding

Funding for the scheme steps up across three years as follows:

  • 2016/2017 c. £1m
  • 2017/19 c. £2m
  • 2018/19 c. £4m

Purpose

The purpose of the scheme is to “promote innovation across health and social care by voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations in NI.”

Eligibility

The scheme is open to all VCSE organisations in Northern Ireland – including those who have not previously received DHSSPS funding.

Partnership proposals are welcome, including those that seek to work with a partner from the private sector however the VSCE organisation must act as the lead accountable body for the proposal and funded projects must be fully not for profit.

Cross-border applications are also welcome but funding through the scheme can only be used to cover costs incurred in NI.

Themes

Applications for the Scheme should align with any departmental strategies and objectives.

The Department intends on implementing the scheme under three themes, a project can fit within more than one theme:

  • Addressing societal factors which impact on health and wellbeing
  • The adoption of prevention or early intervention approaches to deliver improved long term health and wellbeing outcomes
  • Advocacy on behalf of users of health and social care to either reduce inequalities in health and social care outcomes or influence policy, practice and service design / delivery

Innovation

Under the Northern Ireland Executive’s Innovation Strategy, Innovation is defined as:

‘...the successful generation and exploitation of new ideas. It is about transforming creative thinking into new products or new and improved processes and services’ .

The Department associate innovation with a new discovery.  However they do realise that “it is unrealistic to expect that every application will be 100% new and original.”

They continue that “sometimes creativity can mean looking at existing service needs from a different angle; applying an idea to a different client group; or testing an existing solution in a different geographical context.”

The NESTA Social Innovation Framework

The Framework has been adapted from the Nesta Social Innovation Framework.

It highlights seven sequential stages ranging from understanding problems and opportunities through to changing whole systems.

The Innovation Scheme will seek to support projects which are at stages 1-6 or support projects to move from stages 1-6, potentially taking innovative ideas and supporting them to grow to the stage where they can implement systemic change.

Innovation Framework

  • Stages 1 and 2 of the cycle are where an initial idea is generated and proposals are formed with a limited evidence base. However evidence of need can be demonstrated.
  • Stage 3 involves developing and testing new ideas through pilot projects to a small group of patients/clients after some evidence has been gathered to suggest the initial idea may be successful.
  • Stage 4 involves building up the evidence base which demonstrates the impact the project is having.
  • Stage 5 the emphasis is on sustainability. Evidence must be provided to indicate how a project can be sustained in the longer term, that is, has a life beyond piloting or prototyping.
  • Stage 6 involves taking this sustainable service model and growing and scaling it.

The Department states: “The emphasis is on difference. Different in the sense that is hasn’t been done before, hasn’t been done for a particular client group or geographical area, different in the sense that it has been demonstrated that it can be scaled up and made sustainably, or can be done in a completely different way to how things have traditionally been done.”

Levels of Evidence Required

The stages of the innovation cycle relate to the level of evidence that is in place to suggest the idea will be successful.

The more advanced a project is related to its position in the framework, the greater the emphasis on the level of evidence to support it.  

The level of evidence required will be proportionate to the size of the project and the level of funding sought. 

In order to progress to a new stage, organisations will need to submit a new application to the Fund, demonstrating the outcomes that have been achieved during the previous funding period. 

Stage on NESTA Innovation Framework

Minimum Evidence expected for applications, which may come from an external source  

Typical funding

1.Understanding problems and opportunities

2.Generating Ideas

You are able to demonstrate evidence of a problem and some evidence that your proposal offers a potential solution. There is a limited amount of evidence to suggest the proposed approach could have an impact and why that would be an improvement on the current situation. 

£20-50k

3.Developing and testing ideas

You are gathering data that shows some change amongst those receiving or using your intervention

£20-100k

4.Building the Case

You can demonstrate that your intervention is having an impact, for example by showing less impact amongst those who don’t receive the product/service. 

£100k+

5.Delivery, implementing and embedding

You are able to explain why and how your intervention is having the impact you have observed and evidenced. An independent evaluation validates the impact. The intervention can deliver impact at a reasonable cost, suggesting that it could be replicated in multiple locations.

£100k+

 

6.Growing, scaling and spreading

You can show that your intervention could be operated by someone else, somewhere else and scaled up, whilst continuing to have positive and direct impact on the outcome and whilst remaining a financially viable proposition.

£100k+

Proposed Funding Levels

This is a revenue fund, however up to 10% of the funding provided from this scheme may be used to cover the capital cost of computer hardware or software provided this is detailed in the application, up to a maximum amount of £5k.

It is anticipated the minimum level of funding provided for any one project will be £20k, with no maximum set.  All applicants will need to set out all costs associated with the project in their application. 

It is proposed that up to 100% of costs will be made available through the scheme. It is also possible to apply for part funding.

Funding is available for up to a maximum of three years. Level 2 projects will normally be funded for one year or less, with more time anticipated for projects at a higher levels.

DHSSPS is committed to the principle of ‘full cost recovery’ that is the full cost of delivering the project, including the relevant proportion of overhead costs

It will not be necessary to submit annual applications for funding; each project will only require one application to cover the duration of the project.  For most projects, it is expected that payments will be made on a quarterly basis. 

Outcomes-based applications

The Innovation Scheme focuses on outcomes, rather than outputs.

Applications will be required to state the outcomes that the project is intending to achieve.  These should be:

  • Focused on the impact and difference that the project will make
  • Within the scope of the project’s control or sphere of influence and project timeframe
  • Have an evidence base

They should also be phrased in terms of change e.g.:

  • Changes in learning – new knowledge, increased skills, attitude/opinions of values
  • Changes in action – modified behaviours
  • Changes in condition – economic: unemployment to employment, social: excluded to included system changes - working in new ways

Applications should make it clear for whom the outcomes will be achieved

The Department have used the diagram below to show the process of moving from the need to be addressed to the desired outcomes, demonstrating the impact it will make. Applications will be required to demonstrate this thought process at a level proportionate to the funding being applied for and the stage of the project on the Innovation Framework.

outcomes based applications

Applications should be clear about how the project will demonstrate the delivery of the outcomes sought, the results of their project in relation to the outcome(s) given and the impact that has been made.

The level of detail expected within applications will be proportionate to the size of the project being funded and the stage on the innovation framework.

Sustainability

A key consideration for applications from the outset must be how the project will survive beyond the duration of the funding timeframe.

The consideration of sustainability will be proportionate to the nature of the project.  For projects in the early stages on the innovation framework, this is likely to involve little more than a scoping of options on how a project may be sustainable if it is to continue beyond the funded period. 

Assessment of Applications

There will be no deadlines set for applications, they can be submitted at any time.

The application process will be in two stages:

  • Stage 1 – preliminary assessment
  • Stage 2 – decision panel

At Stage One applications will undergo a preliminary assessment which will firstly verify that all of the information needed has been included within the application, and secondly that it meets core criteria for the fund. These criteria will be published along with explanatory information to enable organisations to ensure they have provided everything within their application.

Where any criteria are not met, the application will be returned to the organisation. Applications can be resubmitted.

An organisation can submit more than one application.

The preliminary assessment will involve consideration of the application by the relevant part of the Department responsible for the area of policy / strategy to which it relates.

At this point a process included consultation with Commissioners and the Government Funding Database will check whether the project duplicates existing provision and whether it fits with existing or emerging commissioning priorities.

It is envisaged this preliminary assessment could take up to four months from the time an application is received. Applications which complete this process will pass to a decision panel for consideration.

Those which do not progress to the panel stage will be returned with feedback, and the organisation may resubmit.

It is recognised that the application process is time consuming for organisations concerned. Therefore, organisations applying for more than £100k can chose to submit an expression of interest to obtain initial views as to whether their project falls within the scope of the fund.

Three decision panel meetings will take place in each financial year and the dates for these will be published annually to allow organisations to plan.  

At Stage Two the application goes to a Decision Panel, which will be chaired by a senior official within DHSSPS. The panel will comprise a range of individuals with experience and expertise across relevant areas.

The decision panel will assess applications against criterion and will use a scoring mechanism. Further information on the scoring mechanism used will be made available online. 

The panel can ask more questions of the applicant in advance of decision making.

Action and Learning Exercise

A key partner will be assigned to each project from the Department. The partner will liaise with the organisation and provide a level of support during the lifetime of the project timescale. 

Funded organisations will be required to attend at least one session per year with other funded projects to share their experiences of the solutions delivered.

It is intended to capture and disseminate the learning from all Innovation Scheme projects to promote further innovation. 

Evaluation

All projects will be expected to conduct a thorough evaluation at the end of their project.

Project Adjustments

There will be an established procedure for seeking an adjustment to the project. Changes will be permitted provided the procedure is adhered to, additional funding is not required and the expected outcomes continue to be achievable. 

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