Innovation Competition 2009

MEDIPEX INNOVATION COMPETITION AWARDS - 28th APRIL 2009

To the background of Lord Darzi’s announcement of a £20million challenge fund for Innovation, more than 150 people from Industry and the regional NHS gathered at the Tankersley Manor Hotel on Tuesday April 28th for the awards evening of Medipex’s 2009 NHS Innovation Competition .  The awards, now in their fifth year, provide a platform to showcase new technology developed by NHS staff from around the Yorkshire and Humber region with benefits that can be adopted and used both regionally and nationally. 

The sponsors of the Innovation Competition and award ceremony were the Strategic Health Authority, Yorkshire Forward, CPD 4 Health Innovation, Urquhart-Dykes & Lord, Access to Finance, Medilink and Skills for Health. 

Prize money totalling £10,000 was awarded on the night to help the winners in the three categories to develop their innovations further.

The big winners on the night were a blood testing tool to accelerate the identification of antibiotics for treatment of patients with MRSA, the “dignity” mobile bidet dryer commode, resources which allow staff to communicate better with children who have learning difficulties and a training simulator to improve the training of staff in radiology and x-ray procedures. 


Medical Devices and Diagnostics Category

For the first time ever at the awards, one of the categories had joint winners.  Tom Darton and his team from Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust shared the first prize of £4,000 with Andy Speechley of Independent Care Products Ltd who had been working with Avril McCarthy of the Devices for Dignity HTC based at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals. 

      

 

Runners-up in the category were John Wilson from Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Neil Wright from Sheffield Children’s Hospital. 


Software and ICT Category

The Virtual Cath Lab (VCL) designed and developed by Shawn Larson of Connecting for Health was the winner in the Software and ICT Category. 

                                

 

The runners-up in the category were Steve Jessop from Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust, Martin Waugh of Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and Kirsty McDonald of Sheffield PCT. 


Training and Publications Category 

The information and communication resources for children with special needs in hospital developed by Judith Short of Sheffield Children’s Hospital NHS Foundation Trust was the winner of the Training and Publications category.           

                               

Kevin Channer of Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Angela Earnshaw of Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and Anne Wood of Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust were the runners-up in this category.