Notice

Competition brief: using technology to improve dermatology

Updated 5 December 2016

This notice was withdrawn on 21 September 2017

This competition is no longer open. Search current funding opportunities.

1. Dates and deadlines

Competition opens	14 November 2016
Briefing event for applicants	24 November 2016 in Edinburgh
Registration deadline for entering the competition	Midday (12.00pm) Wednesday 4 January 2017
Phase 1 application deadline	Midday (12.00pm) Wednesday 11 January 2017

2. The competition scope

The aim of this competition is to identify and fund innovative technology that improves diagnosis and ongoing management of skin conditions. The competition is particularly looking for solutions that:

• suit all skin conditions and all ages
• can be applied to other medical conditions

NHS Scotland is looking for new solutions from industry partners that include, but are not limited to:

• increasing the number of citizens who can better manage their ongoing skin condition through lifestyle and prevention or early intervention, combined with enhanced compliance with medication and treatment
• providing secure, ‘virtual discussions’ between citizens, GPs, nurse specialists, dermatologists and other specialty doctors. Virtual discussions should allow sharing of digital (including 3D) images of skin conditions, data reported by patients (collected over agreed times) and collected by other healthcare professionals

Innovations should result in these outcomes:

• an increase in virtual discussions and decrease in face-to-face consultations
• a better connected educational network, with better-informed citizens and healthcare professionals. Patients should be able to better self-manage their skin conditions. They should also recognise the importance of attending consultations when determined for clinical reasons
• reduced routine return appointments
• the use of ‘smart booking’ technology to allow patients to initiate their own reviews
• reduced administrative burden for clinicians by electronically recording and reporting outcome measures and next actions

The proposed digital platforms used to provide these solutions should enable evidenced-based decision-making at every stage before onward referral.

Digital platforms should effectively and securely interface with existing NHS Scotland IT infrastructure. They should be user-friendly and work with the current technologies and devices used by citizens. Digital solutions should be flexible to allow for national and local development of the resource in line with service needs.

3. Projects that we won’t fund

In this competition, we are not funding projects that:

• do not support A National Clinical Strategy for Scotland
• do not work with the current technologies used by the healthcare community and the main patient population in Scotland
• only focus on specific skin conditions for specific age groups

4. Find out if you are eligible to apply

To lead a project you must:

• be an organisation of any size
• work alone or in collaboration with others (businesses, research base and third sector)

5. Funding and project details

NHS Scotland and Scottish Enterprise have allocated up to £450,000 to fund innovation projects in this competition.

This is divided across 2 phases:

• up to £150,000 is for phase 1
• up to £300,000 is for phase 2

Phase 1

In phase 1 you will show the technical feasibility of your proposed innovation. Projects can range in size up to a total cost of £30,000 each. Development contracts for feasibility studies should last up to 6 months. Phase 1 will have total funding of up to £150,000.

In the Phase 1 proposal, applicants should include their goals and an outline plan for Phase 2. This should cover testing in a live NHS system (see below). Proposals should also include an explicit plan for full commercial implementation.

Phase 2

Phase 2 is only open to applicants that have successfully completed phase 1. In phase 2, you will develop and evaluate prototypes or demonstrators of the more promising projects completed in phase 1. Projects should last up to 1 year. Projects can range in size up to a total cost of £150,000 each. Phase 2 will have total funding of up to £300,000.

The final 6 months of each contract in phase 2 will involve testing the shortlisted solutions in live healthcare settings at:

• NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde
• NHS Forth Valley
• NHS Highland

Successful proposals must demonstrate the ability to test at these facilities.

6. How to apply

To apply:

• register online. Please note that you must complete a separate registration for each proposal submitted
• read the Invitation to Tender available on the FTP site after registration
• register to access slides and Q&A from briefing event. Please note: any additional scope questions you may have relating to the competition can be placed on the Public Contracts Scotland website once you have registered using this link. Each time a question is answered everyone registered is emailed to show them the question and answer.
• complete and submit an online application for phase 1. You must complete a separate form for each innovation proposed

We will not accept late submissions. Your application is confidential.

A panel of selected experts will assess your proposal. We will then choose the best proposals from those that meet the aims of this competition.

If you need more information, please visit the Public Contracts Scotland website.

Read the general Guidance for Applicants carefully before you apply. It will help your chances of submitting a quality application.

7. Background and further information

NHS Scotland is working with Scottish Enterprise and Innovate UK to find innovative healthcare solutions that will support the principles of A National Clinical Strategy for Scotland.

The Scottish government has acknowledged the need for transformational change in the way NHS Scotland meets citizen’s health and social care needs by 2020. The underpinning principles include:

• enhancing the future quality of care by providing greater patient safety, better clinical effectiveness and a more patient-centred approach
• guiding proposed service changes with evidence and evaluation before fully implementing
• basing service changes around better support for citizens and staff in general, rather than on the needs of a single disease
• improving population health by allowing people the opportunity to better manage their own health
• providing services locally, where clinically appropriate
• minimising health inequalities by ensuring equitable access to healthcare and social care support
• removing barriers that make people less likely to access care

In dermatology, these transformational changes are being introduced by Scotland’s National Dermatology Collaboration (as part of the Scottish government’s Delivering Outpatient Integration Together Programme). The group is testing innovative solutions that can be evaluated and applied to other clinical areas.

Dermatology in NHS Scotland meets the needs of citizens with a wide range of skin conditions (more than 2,000 in total) ranging from acne and leg ulcers through to life-threatening skin cancers.

It is estimated that more than 4,000 deaths each year in Scotland are related to skin disease. Also, other conditions such as eczema and psoriasis, though not life-threatening, can affect quality of life.

Half the population has experienced a skin condition in the last year. The demand placed on NHS Scotland:

• accounts for 15% to 20% of new GP appointments, with 1 in 4 follow-up appointments related to a skin disease
• requires GPs to refer 6% to 8% of patients with a skin disease to a specialist consultant
• results in other specialty-based consultants referring their patients to be seen by a dermatologist
• creates a need for more than 283,000 outpatient appointments per year, of which 41% are first-time appointments

In the last 5 years there has been a 7% increase in the demand for consultant appointments related to skin conditions. The Royal College of Physicians has identified 3 primary reasons:

• an increase in certain conditions such as skin cancer and eczema
• increased citizen awareness and expectations
• the development of more effective treatments

A King’s Fund report on Dermatological services identified a shortfall in the quality of dermatology knowledge in primary care. The report found there is a need to build a much stronger bridge between specialist and primary care services.

NHS Scotland now faces a demand for treating skin conditions that exceeds the level of healthcare services available. This ‘demand gap’ is significant in hospital-based, consultant-led dermatology services.

Using innovative technology solutions would help skin care patients manage their conditions at home, with less reliance on the clinical setting. Solutions could also optimise the current 4-hour clinical consultation. This would allow more time for those patients most in need of a personal appointment with a dermatologist.

7.1 About SBRI competitions

SBRI provides innovative solutions to challenges faced by the public sector. This can lead to better public services and improved efficiency and effectiveness. SBRI supports economic growth and enables the development of innovative products and services. It does this through the public procurement of research and development (R&D). SBRI generates new business opportunities for companies and provides a route to market for their ideas. It also bridges the seed funding gap experienced by many early-stage companies. Applications must have at least 50% of the contract value attributed directly and exclusively for R&D services. R&D can cover solution exploration and design. It can also include prototyping and field-testing the product or service. R&D does not include:

• commercial development activities such as quantity production
• supply to establish commercial viability or to recover R&D costs
• integration, customisation or incremental adaptations and improvements to existing products or processes

Further help and information

Directions on how to enter this competition can be found in the Invitation to Tender document available on the FTP site after registration.

If you want help to find a project partner, contact the Knowledge Transfer Network.

If you need more information, contact the competition helpline on 0300 321 4357 or email us at support@innovateuk.gov.uk.