The Care Innovation Challenge, organised by the National Care Forum (NCF), takes place 1st to 2nd July – with mentor Neil Eastwood of Care Friends is hoping to see AI and other technologies implemented into the ideas from the participating teams.
43 successful applicants have been invited to the innovation weekend stage at Coventry University and will work with mentors, who each bring different perspectives from the adult social care sector, to help them develop, test and present their ideas.
The five teams judged to have the best ideas will receive £500 and further mentoring before competing in the final held at the Care Show in Birmingham in October. The winning idea will see those behind it win £1,000 in prize money plus the ongoing support of mentors to help them fully realise their innovation.
Eastwood, whose social care workforce recruitment and retention app, ‘Care Friends’ recently won the King’s Award for Innovation said: “Social Care is ripe for innovation and now more than ever with a real digital transformation going on and with the potential of AI. Many more providers are digitising their operations and there are many funding sources available. The professional funding community is beginning to put more emphasis on social impact, so finally prioritising innovations that make the world better by solving societal problems, not just making tasks more convenient for the public, like food delivery apps for example.”
Vic Rayner, CEO of NCF, and one of the judges in the challenge, added: “We have had the pleasure of judging some great innovations over the years and we hope that this year’s cohort will follow in their predecessors’ footsteps. With the way previous teams have utilised digital technologies and adopted forward-thinking approaches to challenges in adult social care, everyone working in the sector, and those receiving support, will be able to feel the benefits in the future from the idea generation the Care Innovation Challenge is nurturing right now.”
Neil concluded: “This is a unique opportunity to fast track an idea or a concept you have always wanted to do something about. The weekend brings together a diverse and like-minded group of people with a wide range of skills and talents and also presents a huge networking opportunity. Participants tell me they enjoy the time together on so many levels. It is fun, challenging, invigorating and uplifting, and you might end up as the founder of a global innovation that improves the lives of thousands of people!”
For more information about the Care Innovation Challenge visit https://careinnovationhub.org.uk/challenge.
