Europe’s home care systems are under increasing pressure. People are living longer, demand for care is rising, and workforce shortages continue to grow.
Innovative solutions, including digital and assistive technologies, can help address these challenges and support people to live independently for longer. Yet many promising innovations fail to become part of everyday practice once a pilot project ends. So, what does it take for home care innovation to move beyond the pilot phase and create lasting change?
Bax’s Healthcare Innovation team, in collaboration with Innovation Skåne and Sweden’s Research Institute, RISE, explored this question through the Accelerating the Home Care Innovation Ecosystem of the Future (ACE) project, a 3.5-year Interreg North Sea initiative.
The research drew on insights from 26 innovation pilots and more than 200 stakeholders across six European countries, including care providers, policymakers, researchers, frontline staff, businesses, and older adults. By examining real-world experiences of implementing innovation in home care, the research identified the conditions needed for solutions to move from temporary projects to long-term adoption.
What makes innovation last?
The findings show that technology is rarely the deciding factor in whether a pilot succeeds. Instead, lasting implementation depends on the wider ecosystem surrounding the innovation, including:
- Clear ownership and decision-making – knowing who is responsible for decisions about implementation and scaling.
- Sustainable funding beyond the pilot phase – ensuring there are financial pathways to continue successful solutions once pilot funding ends.
- Policies and purchasing processes that support adoption – creating the right conditions for organizations to procure and implement new solutions.
- Organizations and staff ready to embrace new ways of working – ensuring people and organizations have the capacity and willingness to adopt and sustain change.
Transforming home care requires more than innovative technology. It requires an ecosystem that can support implementation long after a pilot ends.
From pilot project to long-term impact
The ACE project developed two complementary resources to help organizations move from short-term innovation projects towards sustainable implementation.
The Strategy focuses on the why, defining the conditions that need to be in place, and the conditions that need to change, within the home care ecosystem for innovative healthcare solutions to be implemented and scaled across the North Sea Region. On the other hand, the Action Plan focuses on the how, translating these findings into practical guidance for organizations looking to create the conditions for long-term adoption. Together, these documents identify the barriers to scaling innovation and the practical steps toward sustainable, person-centred home care systems.
Download the full documents below.
Documents
