TITCH NETWORK
A national network dedicated to developing technology solutions to improve child health
TITCH NETWORK
A national network dedicated to developing technology solutions to improve child health
The TITCH (Technology Innovation Transforming Child Health) network is a national network of experts dedicated to transforming child health through technology and innovation.
The TITCH network was established in 2014 to address common problems in child health technology:
The TITCH network works with health professionals, children, young people, families, and other stakeholders across the country to identify and validate unmet needs in child health.
The TITCH network is a network of experts with a broad range of professions. TITCH is therefore able to facilitate collaborations between the right stakeholders to develop and evaluate innovations for child health.
The TITCH network works closely with patient and public involvement and engagement (PPIE) groups across the UK to ensure innovations in child health are fit for purpose and wanted by end users. Our ethos is to ensure that health technology for children and young people is developed collaboratively with children and young people.
The TITCH network works across healthcare, NIHR infrastructure, industry, academia, and education, enabling the rapid development, evaluation, and adoption of child health technology.
The TITCH network works closely with funding bodies to influence funding calls where there is an obvious unmet need in child health.
The TITCH network identifies and appoints individuals or organisations as ambassadors or clinical champions to drive forward an innovation for child health.
The TITCH network is comprised of experts seeking to support the development, evaluation, and adoption of child health technology.
Members of the TITCH network have a diverse range of backgrounds, including healthcare, academia, industry, patient representation, NHS research and development, and NIHR infrastructure.
We are interested in hearing from people who would like to join the TITCH network. Please use the link below to enquire about joining the TITCH network.
The TITCH network worked closely with SBRI Healthcare, NHS England, and the Yorkshire and Humber Academic Health Science Network to leverage £3.1 million of SBRI Healthcare grant funding dedicated to child health technology. This SBRI Healthcare funding call focussed specifically on independence and restoring function to children and young people with long-term conditions, and providing support for self-care and remote monitoring.
The TITCH network supports the paediatric themes within the NIHR MedTech and In Vitro Diagnostics Co-operatives (MICs). There are 11 MICs, each with a different focus. The MICs aims to build expertise and capacity in the NHS to develop and evaluate new medical technologies and in vitro diagnostic tests.
The TITCH network demonstrated the need for a funded organisation dedicated to developing and evaluating child health technology. In January 2018, the NIHR funded the only MIC dedicated to child health technology, NIHR Children and Young People MedTech Co-operative (NIHR CYP MedTech).
The TITCH network teamed up with NIHR Devices for Dignity MedTech Co-operative and Sheffield Hallam University to secure funding from the Department of Health for the Starworks Innovation Programme. Starworks aims to accelerate the translation of new inventions and developments in child prosthetics into everyday use for children and young people with limb loss. Find out more: https://www.starworks-innovation.org.uk/
The TITCH network has identified over 100 unmet needs through extensive networks and numerous events with healthcare professionals, industry experts, children and young people, parents/carers, and academics.
The TITCH network has grown substantially over the last few years, and now comprises over 40 members with expertise in a broad range of professions, including paediatric medicine, paediatric surgery, community medicine, general practice, allied health professions, small and medium sized enterprises, large corporations, academia, design, engineering, education, and patient/parent/carer representation.
The TITCH network follows the same innovation pathway as NIHR CYP MedTech:
The TITCH network can provide additional support to unmet needs and innovations that fall within NIHR CYP MedTech’s and NIHR Devices for Dignity MedTech Co-operative’s themes.
Unmet needs and innovations that fall outside of these themes can still be supported through the TITCH network; we can circulate a summary of the unmet need or idea for innovation around the TITCH network to gain expert feedback and find key stakeholders to form an effective project team.
Complete our collaboration request form to let us know about an unmet need or idea for innovation in child health. Unmet needs and ideas for innovation for both NIHR CYP MedTech and the TITCH network are submitted using the same form. Please read the collaboration request guidance before completing the form.
Complete this form if you’d like to enquire about joining the TITCH network. We’re keen to hear from anyone with an interest in or experience of child health or technology, including young people and parents/carers.
Send us an email (cypmedtech@nihr.ac.uk) and one of our team will respond as soon as possible.
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The TITCH network is delighted that an Industry Ambassador role has been awarded to long-term collaborator Tookie Ltd. This initiative has been created to showcase partnership collaboration as best practice for both small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and the NHS within the medical technology development landscape.
The TITCH network and Tookie have a proud and successful history of collaboration. This initiative will create awareness of this collaboration to highlight best practice within medical technology development, through patient and clinician co-design and creation using Tookie’s own ‘Innovation Pathway Journey’.
The TITCH network and Tookie Ltd believe this shared initiative will help support new and innovative devices, which is in line with Tookie’s goal of creating #ALifeMoreNormal for patients, when starting on the challenging journey from idea conception to eventual NHS adoption. The TITCH network will further support Tookie Ltd in the development and adoption of their product portfolio.
Steve Tooke being interviewed at the 2019 National Patient Safety Conference.
Joint case studies will act as a resource to SMEs in helping them understand the innovation pathway journey specifically:
Relevant SMEs that enquire through the TITCH network can be referred to Tookie Ltd for advice and guidance when considering developing a new medical product/innovation. The expansive networks of both the TITCH network and Tookie Ltd will be utilised where appropriate to support an SME.
This initiative is supported by both NIHR CYP MedTech and NIHR Devices for Dignity MedTech Co-operative as well as the wider NIHR MIC network.