Cross-Sectoral Innovation to Benefit Citizens and Patients

Claus Fjeldgaard, CEO at Esbjerg and Grindsted Hospital states:

At Esbjerg and Grindsted Hospital, we prioritise innovation. Since the development of the regional innovation strategy began, we have been working purposefully on our hospital infrastructure and hosting multiple innovation days. It has become clear that creativity flourishes when solutions to clinical needs aim to create value for our patients.

Focus on Cross-Sector Collaboration

We are also establishing a local Innovation Council to support our strategic work on innovation and, over time, contribute to offering partnerships across sectors.

The focus on cross-sector collaboration has already gained importance in recent years, and it will become even more central with the new healthcare reform. In my view, there is no doubt that both a strengthened innovation culture and local innovation competencies can help create a patient- and citizen-focused local healthcare system.

From my municipal background, I know that municipalities are motivated to meet citizens' demand for quality in prevention and treatment. With the restructuring and available resources, we have, I expect the need for cross-sectoral innovation and partnerships to grow.

Efforts focused on the Citizens

One specific focus area might be exploring how we can jointly cover a large geographical area while still offering citizens and patients high-quality care close to their homes. We need to turn hospitals and patient care outward to ensure that essential professional competencies are not lost along the way.

In the expansive geography of Southwest Jutland, we cannot rely solely on data-driven logic - we also need to think creatively and test the best solutions for the benefit of citizens and patients.

We are already making progress. For example, the MAM vehicle (Mobile Emergency Unit) has evolved to cover more functions than initially anticipated. So, the culture of cross-sectoral innovation exists but it needs to be strengthened continuously.

It is certain that part of healthcare will increasingly rely on virtual solutions, home treatment, and remote monitoring. Fortunately, many of these solutions already exist. I believe a crucial innovative step will be applying and scaling known solutions to new patient groups.

We are already training our staff in ‘improvement work’ through the Southern Denmark Improvement Model, where innovation is an integral component. Innovation is thus naturally embedded in our efforts to develop and adapt our system to the needs we encounter. This puts us in a strong position to detach treatment from the physical location we traditionally associate with a hospital.

Respect for People

The concept of having respect for people is fundamental in both improvement and innovation work.

Together, we must uncover and address the need for new solutions - developing innovations that truly benefit patients and support clinicians and other staff in their work.