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In my previous blog post, I discussed why an NHS medical device inventor’s expertise can become just as valuable as their intellectual property. Clinical inventors often bring years of frontline experience, preceded by hard-earned qualifications, alongside an understanding of the clinical problem their device was created to solve. That expert knowledge holds real value, as does the inventor’s time. With a device moving from an idea towards commercialisation, it's important t

Introduction In my previous blog post I discussed one of the biggest decisions facing NHS inventors once they’ve secured IP protection for their medical device: should you create your own spin-out company, or partner with an established commercial organisation? I also explored the advantages and disadvantages of working with either a small medical device company or a large multinational manufacturer. Whichever route is chosen, securing a commercial partner is often seen as a

So, you’ve spotted a patient problem in clinical practice and are one of the rare clinicians brave & ambitious enough to do something about it. You’ve spent months, possibly years refining the idea and designing your solution, developed a working prototype and hopefully with the help of an NHS Trust’s Innovation Team (if you have one) secured patent protection for your medical device invention. A significant milestone has now been reached, all good but how is this idea going

One of the earliest decisions many healthcare innovators face after spotting a patient problem worth solving, has nothing to do with the invention itself. It’s deciding whether to develop their idea alone or invite someone else onto the project I’ve now experienced both approaches with each teaching me valuable lessons, so I thought I’d share them here within this blog post. How LEAFix Began Way back in 2004, I experienced one of those moments that many inventors describe a

insight

In 2003, during my first week as a student Operating Department Practitioner (ODP), I identified a global patient safety problem that would later evolve into the concept behind the global innovative medical device: LEAFix. Tackling something so significant simply felt far beyond me at that time in my very early career in healthcare. So, once qualified as an ODP I spent more than a decade building the skills, confidence, and strategic insight needed to take on a challenge of

In healthcare it’s the frontline professionals who deal with many of the problems firsthand every day. The nurses, doctors, paramedics, operating department practitioners, healthcare assistants, porters and all involved, these are the people who often spot issues early and sometimes even think of ways to fix them, whether it’s improving patient care, ideas for medical devices, streamlining processes, or making working conditions better. Many have flashes of inspiration and i