A school of unconventional thinkers and doers championing the idea that actions, however small, can lead to significant change in the application and delivery of health and care.
It is through small actions that we believe change is possible. Understanding what these actions are and how they can be communicated is key to helping to understand the every day challenges and problems faced by people delivering and receiving care.
The School creates a focus for thinking about these actions and interactions and provide an environment to debate and develop opportunities from.
The School is centred on learning not teaching to allow anyone who is interested to engage, regardless of experience, qualification or position held.
‘Only 20% of healthcare is scientific and clinical, and medical schools only teach scientific and clinical - where do we learn the rest?’
We have used this statement to positively engage in conversations with clinicians, both recently qualified as well as patients, family members and those who also provide support to the health system.
Everyone has a story. Everyone can think of an example where a mechanical, unemotional response or action has been delivered instead of taking the time to really understand what is required. This has nothing to do with a clinical pathway or treatment regime, this has everything to do with person to person interaction.
How is this taught at medical school, how do you train for dealing with the human side of health? Yes there is an argument that getting too involved is complicated and therefore the easiest way to deal with this is to avoid it. But aren’t all healthcare staff human as well?
The Regulars
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Prof. Andrew J Krentz MB ChB, MD, FRCP, FFPM, FRSA
Andrew is an academic physician, clinical researcher, educator, author and medical journal editor. He is Visiting Professor at the University of Reading and King’s College London, UK. He is active in the Royal Society of Medicine. In 2021, Andrew was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.
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Jim Dawton
Jim is a prominent advocate for the role of design in innovation. As a co-founding Director of Impeller Ventures Jim is pioneering a new approach to innovation. He advises the public, third and private sectors and regularly speaks on national and international platforms. Jim currently holds advisory roles on the UK Government’s National Measurement System’s Life Sciences & Health programme and the NHS’s Clinical Entrepreneur Programme and is a Visiting Fellow at Cranfield University’s Management School.
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Simon May MA, FRSA
Simon is a co-founding Director at Impeller Ventures where he is focussed on the commercialisation of solutions. He has recently published a book on the Impeller approach to innovation (Innovation Sucks - Time to Think Differently) that outlines the approach that the business is founded on.
Simon studied Industrial Design before being awarded a Masters Degree in Innovation at Brunel University.
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Adam Sutcliffe MA (RCA), MEng (Imperial)
Adam has taught Design for the past 15 years as a visiting tutor at the Royal College of Art (RCA), Imperial College and Cambridge University as well as Co-Director of the Design programme at Queen Mary University. He is also an Industry Fellow at the RCA's business incubator (InnovationRCA), a start-up mentor for the British Design Fund, Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Falmouth University and a mentor for the Terra Carta Design Lab founded by HRH Prince Charles and Sir Jony Ives.
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Jon Corner
Jon is an entrepreneur, mentor, advisor and digital transformation specialist who has worked in and built businesses large and small. His recent focus has been on the interplay between digital infrastructure and next-generation AI enabled networks and their adoption including their impact on the digital economy, connected health, and emerging new forms of digital exclusion.
Formerly Chief Digital Officer for the City of Salford he has over a decade of experience in public-private collaboration/innovation and nearly twenty years supporting start-ups and founders.
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David Baird
David has been wearing trainers to work for over thirty years. He works with ambitious businesses as co-founder of PocknellBaird to deliver and drive transformation. He does this in many different ways. As a strategist, as a creative director, but always from the perspective of a designer.
David believes design can help solve any business challenge, and it's okay to trust your gut and go with instinct.
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William Pocknell
Will is a co-founding Director of PocknellBaird, a design business specialising in visual and verbal identity-lead business transformation. He works with a diverse range of organisations across hospitality, telecoms, finance, arts, third sector and healthcare.