| 7 P R O G R A M M E Over the past ten years, we’ve seen people move between clinical work, innovation, system leadership and policy, often combining those roles in ways that just didn’t really exist before. They are improving how care is delivered, but also how it is designed. Another thing that has grown, and that I don’t think we could have fully planned for, is the strength of the community. People don’t just take part and move on. They stay connected. They mentor others, collaborate, and support each other’s work. Over time, it has become a network that sustains itself. When I think back to the beginning, the small team, the uncertainty, that first room of people testing out ideas — it’s hard to match that with what exists now. What we have today is something far more established but still driven by the same instinct. Looking back, those early days were defined by possibility. Now, there is a clear track record of what happens when people are given the space and support to do things differently. There is still a lot to do. The challenges facing health and care are only becoming more complex. But the strength of this community — and what it has already achieved — gives real confidence about what comes next. At its core, the programme is still about the same thing it was at the start: people who can see a way to make things better — for patients, for communities, and for the future of the NHS — and who are prepared to get on with it. Polly Sullivan Programme Lead, NHS Clinical Entrepreneur Programme, ARU
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