Despite sustained interest in health service innovation, system-wide change in the delivery of health care has, in many cases, remained elusive. The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated rapid shifts in the delivery of health care and provided a ‘window’ into the innovation afforded through this system disrupter.
During the COVID pandemic, the capacity to set aside past assumptions and ways of working was clearly demonstrated in several allied health settings, as well as across the health system. A challenge facing health services, and particularly managers, is to sustain this momentum and harness the opportunities afforded to staff, patients, the workplace, and the service system. This will in part be supported by an understanding of key factors that enabled innovation as well as future explorations as to how those innovations were implemented.
