NHS gets down to business with school’s brightest brains
Some of the brightest young brains in the country have put their heads together with the NHS to work on projects as diverse as AI, hybrid working and integrated care models for community and mental health.
The current partnership between the London Business School Healthcare Society and six hospital trusts was founded by the business school and London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust three years ago.
The number of participating trusts and projects has grown in the intervening years with a current programme of 19 projects.
James Biggin-Lamming, Director of Strategy and Transformation at LNWN, said: “The London Business School is one of the top ranked schools of its kind in the world and the partnership’s objectives are twofold: to use that brainpower to help tackle challenges within the NHS and encourage students to consider a career in the health service.
"There is a great learning opportunity for both sides and investment in an organisation we all rely on at one time or another in our lives.”
Twenty students were involved in the most recent programme offering their services for the equivalent of one day a week over a ten-week period.
Projects included better hospital signage, hybrid working, more effective management of medical leave, new outpatient models of care, the installation of vending machines to distribute medical supplies, and improving day case surgery pathways to avoid patients unnecessarily staying overnight.
Niko Koenning, a participating business student, said: “The project was a unique opportunity for me learned how valuable the collaboration between individuals from different backgrounds is when solving some of healthcare's biggest problems."
LNWH also coordinates an MBA Summer internship programme with local NHS Trusts having previously attracted interns from London, Cambridge, Oxford, Manchester and Harvard.