In the rush to develop new healthcare solutions, it is easy for innovators to focus on the brilliance of the technology, the beauty of the design or the novelty of the idea. Yet one message came through clearly during our recent webinar with the NHS Innovation Accelerator. The people who listen deeply and consistently are the ones who make the biggest impact.

Listening strengthens equity, evidence, trust and adoption. It also improves commercial success. What follows is a look at the themes that emerged and why listening is not a bonus but a crucial part of getting innovation right.

Start with the problem, and let people tell you what it really is

We often hear that innovation should begin with the problem, not the solution. The real shift happens when innovators let the people affected define that problem themselves.

It is easy to become excited by a new idea and then go searching for a use case. The better route begins with understanding what patients and staff experience every day. They show you which issues genuinely matter, which are urgent and which are widespread. In a stretched system like the NHS, knowing what matters most helps you focus.

By listening early, innovators learn how people cope now and what stands in their way. This becomes the foundation for any meaningful solution.

Listening helps make care fairer

Another strong theme was the danger of hearing only one point of view. Health experiences differ widely depending on background, location, culture and income. If innovators only listen to people who resemble them or share their own experiences, they risk creating solutions that work for some but not for others.

People who become innovators, including clinicians and patients, often bring deep insight but still only see part of the picture. Broader listening makes blind spots visible and helps make sure a solution does not accidentally leave people behind.

Design with people, not for them

Humility featured strongly in the discussion. What people say about their needs and preferences really matters, and it can surprise innovators. Sometimes their insights send a project in a completely new direction. Sometimes they show that a cherished idea will not work.

Ignoring this feedback can be costly. The most successful innovators involve people before making big decisions, let their reactions shape early versions and stay open to changing course. Real experiences, not assumptions, should guide the design.

Listening helps avoid expensive wrong turns and ensures you are building something that people truly want.

Listening strengthens the evidence behind an innovation

Anyone hoping to work with the NHS knows that evidence is essential. Clinical results and value for money both matter, but patient and staff experience now carries real weight too.

Insights from people help show how a solution works in the real world. They strengthen applications for grants and innovation programmes, help secure funding and make an innovation more appealing when commissioners compare different options.

What commissioners do not want is token listening that never shapes the design. They want to see engagement that leads to change.

Listening builds trust and long-term support

Good engagement does more than improve a product. It builds genuine trust.

Sam Jackman, Co-Founder of Boost and a panellist on our webinar, described listening to more than 160 women affected by breast cancer across Devon and Cornwall. The aim was not to design a product straight away but simply to understand their frustrations, their needs and what they wished existed.

Those early conversations made the innovation stronger, but something much deeper happened too. The women involved felt heard and respected, and that trust has lasted for years. Many still work with Boost today and continue to support and champion the project. This kind of legitimacy cannot be bought.

People who feel heard become your strongest advocates

One of the clearest insights from the session was the role of users in helping innovations spread. When people feel that something has been created with them and for them, they want others to know about it.

These personal networks matter. People tell other people. Patients tell clinicians. Clinicians tell commissioners. Commissioners influence what gets adopted across whole systems.

Boost achieved NHS availability without sales representatives or large marketing budgets. The product reached clinics because patients themselves asked for it. Clinicians paid attention, word spread and adoption followed.

This is the power of listening in action.

Listening is also good business

A final message from the discussion was that listening is not just a thoughtful practice. It is also a smart commercial choice.

Innovators who listen build better products, gain trust faster, gather stronger evidence and avoid wasted effort. They benefit from word of mouth and shorten the journey to wider use. Listening improves both impact and financial sustainability.

The takeaway: listening, learn and adapt

The common thread that ran through our webinar with the NHS Innovation Accelerator was simple. Listening on its own is not enough. Innovators must listen and then act on what they hear.

This is what separates projects that stall from those that spread. Whether you are building a device, designing digital support or shaping a new service, the voices of patients and staff are not optional. They are what make innovation work.

Want to watch the full webinar?

Access the complete recording here.

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