The Dragon’s Heart Institute has been developed by Cardiff and Vale University Health Board to spearhead innovation and to act as a catalyst for change across public services to improve the lives of citizens in Cardiff, Wales and beyond.
Innovation in health is about doing things differently for the benefit of our people and our planet. We want to meet highest expectations rather than minimum standards, foster a culture that is not afraid of change, and work to eradicate health inequalities: bringing great care everywhere.
We are a space for system leaders to come together in order to develop their skills, knowledge, and ability to spread and scale their innovative ideas. Empowering tomorrow’s leaders will ensure that our healthcare system serves the needs of current and future generations in a sustainable way.
Using academic excellence and extensive research capabilities, we tackle the biggest challenges facing healthcare.
We nurture, support and empower our leaders to develop and implement innovative solutions at pace and scale.
We bring together world-leading researchers, industry partners, and healthcare professionals to work collaboratively to create change and impact.
The Dragon’s Heart Institute has been developed by Cardiff and Vale University Health Board to spearhead innovation and to act as a catalyst for change across public services to improve the outcomes for citizens in Cardiff, Wales and beyond. The Institute will support the UHB to become one of the leading health and care systems in the world.
It will be a place for people to come to from around the world, to learn from a radical global collective of great leaders and powerful partnerships. Collectively, we will solve the greatest issues we face.
We will build a radical network of excellence for dynamism and collaboration, in this time of disruption and rediscovery, not just in health but across industry, academia and public service in Wales, the UK and globally.
We will recognise reward and nurture those great leaders in play and in development, in Wales and wider who will provide the answer to challenges such as reimagining health and care, tackling poverty and disease, and promoting peace, justice, and equity.
The Dragon’s Heart Institute finds its origins in Cardiff and Vale University Health Board’s response to COVID-19 and the construction of the Dragon’s Heart Hospital. However, the spirit of the Dragon’s Heart – collaboration, radical ideas, and collective leadership – was present across the whole system as staff worked together in new and innovative ways at all levels and in all departments of the Health Board.
The COVID-19 pandemic, when it arrived in early 2020, forced us to adapt in order to effectively respond to this once-in-a-lifetime event. The pandemic is perhaps the single biggest challenge that the NHS has faced in its seven-decade lifetime.
Rising to the challenges of COVID-19, staff at Cardiff and Vale University Health Board came together, mobilised like never before, and found new ways of working to maintain our essential services.
We exist to capture that momentum and take the first step into the future of health and care.
Everything we do is centred on the people we serve. We want our citizens to be an active partner in the work we undertake and the decisions we make so that we can exceed their expectations, rather than simply meet their needs. By co-producing care, we can ensure that it is the best it can be for both our current population and for future generations.
As a space for radical collaboration across organisational boundaries, developing exciting partnerships is the cornerstone of what we do. The challenges we face may seem insurmountable alone but by working together we can develop exciting, often unexpected solutions to these issues. Together, we can improve the lives of the people of Wales and beyond.
In Cardiff and Vale UHB’s COVID-19 response, there were over 100 partner organisations involved in the construction and operation of the Dragon’s Heart Hospital, including the Army, Mott MacDonald, Archus, Q5, Welsh Government, and the Welsh Rugby Union.
Following this, partner organisations such as Q5 and Venbridge have worked alongside Cardiff and Vale UHB staff to establish the Dragon’s Heart Institute.
The Dragon’s Heart Institute is currently embedded within Cardiff and Vale University Health Board but is inclusive to all staff in the health and social care system across Wales. We will provide support to staff, investing in them and making it easier for them to drive change, allowing them to develop their leadership skills, collaborate effectively with one another across traditional organisational boundaries, and connect with partners in other health organisations, industry and academia from Wales and around the world.
Get in touch using our contact form or email hello@dragonsheart.org