Call for Ideas

Imagining a working world that supports people with long term conditions

THE PROBLEM
Almost half the UK population has a long term condition (or LTC), such as depression, back pain, asthma, diabetes or epilepsy. 80% of NHS spending goes on treating this. The State cannot continue to sustain the NHS without significant innovation, and a shift in the way that healthcare is delivered - from hospitals to the community.
For many people, the workplace forms the centre of their daily life. Much more therefore needs to be done to make work central to preventing and managing long-term conditions.
One-third of working days are lost due to long-term conditions - that's £11.6bn per year. But the biggest impact is on the individual and their loved ones. People with LTCs face many problems trying to live with, and manage, their condition. One of the main ones is about getting into work, being able to hold on to a job and managing their condition while at work.

HELP US WITH THE SOLUTION
The NESTA-Young Foundation Health Innovation Accelerator is a major new initiative supporting social innovation in health. We will support and develop new ideas that work to transform the way health is approached in the working world.
Specifically we are calling for ideas for new enterprises in the following areas:

PREVENTING AND MANAGING LONG TERM CONDITIONS IN THE WORKPLACE: Exciting work-based solutions to the promotion of physical and mental well-being amongst those with, or at risk of, LTCs. It might also be about creative ways to enable individuals with long-term conditions to contribute fully to the working world. For example, how the working day can be made easier for those who are trying to manage their condition?

GETTING INDIVIDUALS BACK INTO WORK: Supporting people with LTCs to get the work they want and need. This might include overcoming the barriers into work in the first place (such as training solutions and alternative career paths) and/or getting back to work after being unwell.
We are looking for radically different solutions that will have a real impact on health across the country - in particular ideas that are:

INNOVATIVE: based around a highly creative idea, and
www.health-innovation.org.uk launchpad.youngfoundation.org

ENTREPRENEURIAL: we believe new ideas are best served when they are coupled with an enterprise approach. This means a new venture which has SUSTAINABLE revenue streams, is SCALABLE and or REPLICABLE.
We are particularly looking for ideas that are led by users of services and their carers and that are accessible to people from all walks of life and all parts of society.

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU
Are you:

someone with a long term condition, or a carer for someone who does - Have you ever thought that if things at work could change, your life would be so much easier?
an employer or employee - Can you spot the opportunities to improve health in the workplace?
a member of NHS staff - Can you see how things might be done differently?
an entrepreneur, or budding Anita Roddick - ever had that ‘what if?' moment that could help people with long term condition
WHAT ARE WE OFFERING?
The NESTA-Young Foundation Health Innovation Accelerator is an early stage social venture fund. We develop promising ideas into new ventures by providing financial support, time and expertise. We work as social entrepreneurs at the earliest stages of idea development to scope, pilot and then launch new ventures from an innovative idea (whether commercial or not for profit). Our approach allows us to provide both funding (grants, loans, equity) and intensive non-financial support (c. 40 team days per project).

DO YOU HAVE AN IDEA?
If so, please learn more about our approach by visiting www.health-innovation.org.uk., then submit your idea via the form on the website outlining how it meets our core criteria of SOCIAL IMPACT, INNOVATION, SUSTAINABILITY, SCALABILITY AND REPLICABILITY.
Given our ideas based and staged funding approach, ideas can be a very early stage (really just an idea with only a few sentences of description) or more developed (with an executive summary/business plan and other supporting documentation).

COMMENTS?
If you have thoughts, suggestions or people, organisations we should be talking to related to this call, please contact us by email at: workingwell@youngfoundation.org