Innovation in the capital: The NHS in London benefits from the services of world class healthcare experts and enjoys a deserved reputation as an environment in which growth and the development of creativity and innovation are nurtured. Always at the cutting edge of new ideas and developments, it is no surprise that London is leading the way in healthcare innovation.

We have some of the best health experts in the world living and working in our city, and we are proud of London's reputation as a hotbed of biomedical research, learning, creativity and innovation in health.

NHS London has a statutory duty to promote innovation to secure continuous improvement in the commissioning and provision of health care. However, we see innovation as much more than simply an obligation. We want every part of the region to benefit, and have the ability to drive innovation forward. Our overall aims for our work on innovation are to:

• Focus innovation effort on enabling the rapid, affordable transformation of services in a challenging economic context, and in the face of increasing demand for healthcare
• Centre innovation effort on rapidly improving quality and productivity
• Encourage a climate of collaboration around innovation
• Work with others to develop an innovation culture and capability
• Ensure high-impact proven ideas are quickly translated into sustainable practice across the capital

These pages detail some of the main ways we are supporting innovation across the capital - the Regional Innovation Fund, Health Innovation and Education Clusters (HIECs) and Academic Health Science Centres (AHSCs). As demonstrated here, innovation in the NHS is pervasive and not limited to a particular sector or level.