Project
The ‘iCanMove’ project is the brainchild of clinical specialist physiotherapist Louise Graham.
Louise and her team work with children and young people with significant functional and mobility problems which are a result of their cancer and treatment.
The aim of the project is to create a proactive physiotherapy service, a mainstay of cancer treatment. Both the project and the new post to develop this service is funded by the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation.
Part of the work will be to develop a digital solution in the form of an exercise and activity platform, to deliver an inclusive and remote specialist physiotherapy service to all patients, which is personalised, safe and accessible for all.
What this means for staff
Encouraging patients to be as active as possible throughout their treatment and goal-setting with them very early on, will help prevent pressures on the physiotherapy team. It will also help to reduce delays in discharging patients from hospital due to mobility difficulties, preventing the need for readmission into hospital for rehabilitation.
How this benefits patients
The aim of the new physical activity pathway and digital solution is to incorporate personalised physical activity and goals from the point of diagnosis and beyond. Evidence suggests this leads to better long-term outcomes for these children and young people, including an improvement in their quality of life and well-being.
Having a digital platform enables children and families to access personalised activity at any time without having to travel to the hospital or take more time off school, college or work.
How our innovation team helped
Louise was awarded a place on the NHS England Clinical Entrepreneur Programme in 2021 with her digital platform design and she continues to access support and mentorship from the programme for her project.
Our innovation business manager Charlotte has supported Louise with the project, including stakeholder engagement, contracting expertise, developing a prototype and collaborating with partners.
Louise was also matched with a mentor who has provided invaluable guidance and direction, as well as encouragement to write a business case for the charity-funded post, and protected non-clinical time to allow for its development.
Next steps
Louise collaborated with a physiotherapy colleague from Sheffield Children’s Hospital and the team behind a children’s cancer digital platform to develop the exercise and physical activity element of the platform.
Funding has been obtained via the National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) to begin the pilot study with the children and young people at the Great North Children’s Hospital.
What would you say to colleagues who have an idea to develop?
If you have an idea or innovation that you truly believe in, then don’t ever give up! Sometimes I have to look back to see how far I’ve come. A few years ago I would never have believed that we could get to where we are today.
Go out there and find the support you need. I can’t thank our innovation team, the NHS Clinical Entrepreneur Programme and my line managers enough for the guidance, support and encouragement they’ve given me for my vision.
I’m determined to improve the outcome and quality of life for children with cancer and no amount of imposter syndrome is ever going to stop me from doing that now.”
