The NHS Innovation Accelerator (NIA) today announced its 2026 Fellows live at Digital Health Rewired on the Data & Digital Stage, spotlighting a new cohort of innovators whose solutions are already delivering results in the NHS and are ready to scale nationally.
Glow's Managing Director, Phil Blything has been selected!
24 fellows were selected from over 300+ applicants this year.
Phil joins the Fellowship in recognition of his leadership in digital innovation and the impact of SafeTeam Guardian - Glow’s NHS lone‑worker safety platform, now protecting NHS community and mental health teams.
The NIA Fellowship supports innovators with a proven track record of delivering meaningful change in health and care. Phil’s selection reflects nearly three decades of work delivering transformative digital solutions for public sector organisations, and SafeTeam’s measurable success in improving staff safety, training compliance, operational efficiency and environmental performance.
Now in its second decade, the NIA serves as the NHS’s trusted national accelerator, helping systems access and connect with innovations that address priorities, while giving innovators the access, learning and connections they need to embed at pace.
Over the last ten years, NIA‑supported innovations have reached more than 10 million patients, been adopted across more than 3,500 NHS sites, and supported 140 innovations – all demonstrating the impact of connecting evidence‑based solutions with system needs.
Mindy Simon, Co-Director, NHS Innovation Accelerator:
“This year’s fellows join us at a pivotal moment for health and care. Systems are under sustained pressure, but there is also renewed clarity around national priorities, and the role innovation must play in delivering them. The 2026 cohort reflects a decade of learning about what it takes to scale in the NHS: strong evidence, system alignment and collaboration. We look forward to working alongside our fellows and partners across the country to ensure proven innovations reach the patients and communities who need them most.”
Jack Porter, Co-Director, NHS Innovation Accelerator:
“At a time when the NHS is focused on delivering the ambitions of the NHS 10 Year Health Plan, the need to adopt and spread proven innovation has never been greater. The NHS Innovation Accelerator continues to identify solutions that are not only evidence-based, but ready to scale. The 2026 fellows represent practical, tested innovations that can support systems to improve outcomes, increase productivity and deliver high-quality care for patients across the country.”
Phil Blything, Managing Director of Glow:
"It's genuinely humbling to be selected for this national fellowship. An NHS Frontline worker is assaulted every two minutes and it's our mission with SafeTeam to protect them. The line up of NIA innovators, mentors, alumni and staff is awe inspiring and intimidating! I'm really excited to start the journey."
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Notes : About the NHS Innovation Accelerator (NIA) Funded by NHS England and delivered with the 15 Health Innovation Networks, the NIA accelerates the uptake of high‑impact, evidence‑based innovations across the NHS and wider health and care system in England. Media/Comms contact: Ellen McIntosh, ellen.mcintosh@uclpartners.com
Glow developed SafeTeam which transforms NHS smartphones into an effective, unobtrusive, easy to use safety platform, adopted in Liverpool City Region where it has protected NHS staff for 5 years.
In England, an NHS frontline worker is physically assaulted every 2 minutes. That's not OK.
