July 22, 2026
Liz Jones, Policy Director and Deputy Chief Executive Officer at the National Care Forum (NCF), looks back on the 2026 Care Innovation Challenge’s Innovation Weekend, facilitated by NCF and hosted at Coventry University’s Techno Centre on Saturday 27th and Sunday 28th June.
The atmosphere was electric as dozens of budding innovators and entrepreneurs came together for a thought-provoking weekend of innovation, networking and creativity focused around finding solutions to the challenges faced in adult social care.
During the weekend participants are given the opportunity to collaborate, develop their ideas and gather valuable learning and guidance from mentors before pitching their idea on the second day. Five teams or participants are chosen to go through to the semi-finals at the Care Show in Birmingham on 7th and 8th October.
Diverse disciplines
After some team introductions and an insightful welcome from Coventry University’s Deborah Lycett, the first day began with an inspirational message from St Monica Trust’s Head of Innovation, Sean Davey, who encouraged this year’s participants to make the most of the Challenge, embrace the many networking opportunities and most importantly to enjoy the journey.
As the innovators introduced themselves, the diversity of the cohort quickly became clear. Participants came from a variety of disciplines, but what connected them was the common goal to transform adult social care through the power of innovation and collaboration. This year’s participants ranged from registered care managers to nurses and entrepreneurs, each ready to develop their ideas and create solutions to the challenges faced in adult social care.
Purnima Naidu,who is a Service Manager at Charismatic Care, took part with her colleagues and said, ‘Every activity was thoughtfully planned, engaging and encouraged creativity, collaboration and problem-solving. It provided participants with a fantastic opportunity to develop and strengthen their business ideas, and I’m sure it left everyone feeling motivated and inspired to take their ideas forward. I really appreciated the opportunity to be part of the weekend and learned a great deal from the mentors, organisers, and fellow participants.’
Bold, innovative solutions
The energetic atmosphere continued into the idea lab – a fast-paced ideation session which tasked participants to team up and generate ideas to six common challenges faced by people who need adult social care and support and those who deliver it. With the guidance of experienced mentors, participants were given an hour to generate bold, innovative solutions to tackle the various challenges. After coming up with solutions, a representative of each team presented their idea to the room, preparing them for the pitches that would take place later in the weekend.
In a new addition to the weekend, the afternoon began with a mentor panel focused on customer journeys, featuring Isaac Samuels OBE, National Lived Experience Leader at Think Local Act Personal, Mike Armstrong, Managing Director at Havering Care Homes, Chris Watson, Founder of Self Directed Futures and Jamie Hibbard, Chief Technology Officer at Nourish Care. During the panel, Isaac Samuels OBE said, ‘We’re [people with lived experience] the people that know what we need so invest in those relationships,’ a statement which resonated with the whole room and reminded the Challengers to design their innovation keeping people who draw on care and support services in mind.
Preparations intensify
The real hackathon began as Challengers were prompted to think critically about their innovation, set a long-term goal, research their market and prepare business plans while also considering what they would do if things went wrong.
During the second mentor panel, An Vu, Product Leader and Portfolio Director at Person Centred Software, Molly Baldini, Challenge Alumni and Founder of DentaBlue, Amy Lewis, Chief Executive Officer of Just Checking and Rachel Peacock, Chief Executive Officer of Making Space. The mentors shared their professional experiences, the challenges they had faced and advised participants what to be prepared for on their entrepreneurial journeys.
Mentor masterclass
Other mentors, Sean Davey, Head of Innovation at St Monica Trust, Geraint Thomas, Director of Guided Innovations, Nathan Evans, Chief Executive Officer at the Shaw Foundation and Lisa Werthmann, Director at Care Choices, gave participants helpful pep talks on how to prepare to pitch to a large audience and helped them think about the audience for their innovations, where it would be positioned in the current care market and customer journeys.
Molly Baldini said, ‘I think what people are really thriving in this year is networking. I think networking is a real skill and it can be really challenging putting yourself out there and having to do those 30-second elevator pitches over and over again. I think they are absolutely exceeding my expectations at that and they’re really understanding the value of those relationships as well.
‘I think what a lot of them could perhaps use a little more support with is homing in on what those priorities are for the next six months or 12 months. There are some incredibly passionate people who are looking at where they want to be in an ideal situation, which we all do. But I think there needs to be a bit of homing in on what those top priorities are and what they can do now to get themselves from A to B to C.’
Pitch perfect
Day two of the Challenge kicked off with an equally energetic start as participants prepared for an afternoon of pitches. Mentors aided participants as they perfected their ideas and prepared to pitch to mentors for a chance to make it through to the semi-final.
Each participant and team presented a passionate pitch and there was a diverse set of solutions from dental hygiene products to AI supported rewards apps designed for care workers. The pitches reflected the growth and development of each idea and highlighted just how beneficial mentoring and collaboration can be.
After a difficult decision for the judges, they selected the five innovations that had made it through to the semi-finals:
- Team Caring VR: Elizabeth Hilliam and Cassia Ogilvie have developed personalised VR experiences to help people receiving care to reminisce on their past experiences.
- The Cognitive Daisy: Patrycja Korzeniowska’s tool helps care staff and families better understand the needs of people living with cognitive impairments.
- Nogi: Zuzanna Rosinska wants her redesigned rollator to help challenge the stigma around walking aids and give people more independence and dignity.
- Hibant Care: Ibomobo Igbosi has founded Hibant Care, a London based introductory care agency which ensures people seeking care can be matched with the best carers to support them.
- Senses Moisture Care: Sian Ellingworth focuses on care-led oral health to give people with sensory sensitivities improved comfort, dignity and compliance.
Congratulations to all the semi-finalists! Visit the Care Innovation Challenge website and the Care Innovation Challenge Linkedin page to follow their journeys.
Liz Jones is Policy Director and Deputy Chief Executive Officer at the National Care Forum (NCF).