A Vision for the North of England: Health Innovation Rooted in Community
As the world faces growing health challenges from ageing populations to rising chronic disease the North of England has a unique opportunity to lead a revolution in how we deliver care, promote wellbeing, and support innovation. At the heart of this opportunity lies Cumbria, a region rich in community spirit, natural beauty, and resilience.
The World Health Innovation Summit (WHIS) is proud to share a bold new vision: the creation of a North of England Digital Health Ecosystem. Anchored in Cumbria and extending across major cities like Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool, and Newcastle, this project aims to harness the power of prevention, digital health, and innovation to improve lives and drive inclusive economic growth.
This isn’t just another health programme it’s a community-led transformation, powered by partnerships and purpose.
From Cumbria to the World
WHIS was founded in Cumbria in 2015 with a simple but powerful idea: communities hold the key to sustainable health and wellbeing. What began as a grassroots movement to connect people, professionals, and policymakers has grown into a global platform for health innovation. Today, WHIS leads pioneering work on social prescribing, preventive care, and health equity, supporting thriving communities around the world.
From organising global summits and youth programmes to launching inclusive digital solutions, WHIS is now working with local and international partners to scale community-based health innovation around the world.
What We’re Building
We’re proposing the development of WHIS Innovation Centres across the North. These centres will act as regional hubs for collaboration between health services, academia, local governments, and industry. They’ll incubate new health startups, accelerate digital health solutions, and deliver WHIS’s core wellbeing services: WHISKids, WHISatWork, WHISSeniors, and more.
The aim? To create an ecosystem where innovation meets inclusion, and every citizen has access to tools that help them stay well—physically, mentally, and socially.
The Power of Partnership
To realise this vision, WHIS is collaborating with world-leading partners including Areopa Group and Stonehage Fleming. Together, we combine technological innovation, data stewardship, and long-term investment thinking to build a sustainable, globally replicable model of community health and wellbeing.
This model will serve as the **WHIS Global Demonstration Site **a blueprint that can scale from Cumbria to the world, showing what’s possible when we invest in people and place.
Projected Impact
Subject to a detailed feasibility study, the potential outcomes are transformative:
- Over 15 million people served across the region
- 1,500–2,000 direct jobs and 5,000–7,000 indirect jobs created
- Support for 150–200 startups driving health innovation
- An estimated £1BN+ in economic value over five years The investment required will be sourced through a public-private partnership model, ensuring both impact and return.
What’s Next?
The next step is commissioning a **feasibility study **to map the delivery pathway, assess regional health and economic need, and engage key stakeholders across government, NHS, academia, and industry.
We invite those who share our belief in inclusive innovation and community-powered change to join us. Whether you’re a policymaker, business leader, investor, or local resident this is a chance to help shape the future of health, right here in the North.
A Call to Action
We are inviting stakeholders, funders, healthcare leaders, local authorities, academic institutions, and innovators to join us in shaping this transformative initiative. If you believe in building healthier communities through inclusive innovation, we want to hear from you.
📩** Get in touch: To express interest or explore partnership opportunities, please contact info@whis.worl**d or reach out directly t[o Gareth Presch via LinkedIn or the WHIS website.
Together, let’s pioneer a new era of healthcare rooted in prevention, powered by community, and built to last.
About Gareth Presch
Gareth Presch is the Founder and CEO of the World Health Innovation Summit. A former Chief Officer of the National Haemophilia Council in Ireland and member of Pope Francis’s Vatican COVID-19 Commission, Gareth is a global health leader and strategist with over 25 years of experience in healthcare systems, digital innovation, and sustainable development. He is also a partner at the Commonwealth Pacific Climate Fund and a passionate advocate for UN Sustainable Development Goal 3 – Good Health and Wellbeing. Gareth’s mission is simple: enable communities to thrive by placing prevention, people, and partnerships at the heart of health.