Health and Social Care Structures

Test Beds relate to NHS Boards and/or Integrated Joint Boards working within the national Test Bed Framework to provide real-word explorations, trials and testing of ‘combinatorial’ innovation (new combinations of products and processes) aiming to improve patient/citizen outcomes at the same or less cost than current practice; whilst supporting economic growth. They are funded by the Scottish Government to provide Professional Leadership, Project Management and resources to free up capacity to innovate. A pipeline of areas of need are agreed and prioritised by the Test Bed Governance Group. An NHS Board, Integrated Joint Board or national group then lead an initiative to find innovators with ideas that may solve the area in question. There will usually be an industrial lead academic/social enterprise collaborators. A Catalyst stimulates collaboration between NHS Boards, Integrated Joint Boards and Innovators on priority areas of need where solutions to operational delivery problems are not presently available or affordable in Scotland.