NNUH teams scoop top health innovation awards

Innovations developed at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, including a procedure that “cooks tumours” and a computer system that improves the safety of patients in operating theatres, last night won prestigious health awards.

A new technique for the destruction of inaccessible soft tissue tumours developed by Dr John Cockburn and Mr Simon Wemyss-Holden won the Weigao Group Corporation Award for Medical Technology. The award was collected by colleagues, together with a cheque for £3,000.

A team comprising Dr David Wilson-Nunn, Jane Strivens, Huw Purcell-Jones and David Chapman won The Scott York Innovation Award for Software for developing a web-based programme that allows clinicians to book emergency cases directly onto an electronic theatre list, saving both time and resources. They were presented with their award and a cheque for £3,000 by Jonathon Midgley from Scott York.

The Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital NHS Trust also won the special price for the trust that entered the most submissions to the Health Enterprise East Innovation competition. The two NNUH teams received their awards from BBC Look East presenter Stewart White at the Huntingdon Marriott Hotel last night.

Medical Devices Category – First Prize: Dr. John Cockburn, Mr. Simon Wemyss-Holden – Bimodal Electric Tissue Ablation (BETA)

Bimodal Electric Tissue Ablation (BETA) – new technique for the destruction of inaccessible soft tissue tumours using an intriguing development of current practice (radio frequency ablation). In contrast to RF Ablation, BETA keeps the tumour hydrated during the ablation process which increases the volume of tissue destroyed by eight-fold and decreases the tumour recurrence rate.

Software Category – First Prize: Dr David Wilson-Nunn, Jane Strivens – Emergency Theatre Sister, Huw Purcell-Jones – Emergency Theatre Team Leader , David Chapman – Web Services Manager

Electronic Booking and List Management System for General Emergency & Orthopaedic Trauma Theatres – web-based programme that allows clinicians to book general emergency and orthopaedic trauma cases directly on to an electronic theatre list. Includes a number of innovative features such as an automatic risk score, traffic light status and links to external internet resources (fracture classification).

The HEE award for the software system is the second time the theatre team has won a major award. Late last year the emergency theatre team at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital won £20,000 in a prestigious national competition that saw them named Team of The Year.

The NNUH emergency theatre team won the Association for Perioperative Practice Team of the Year award, sponsored by Molnlycke Health Care, and received a prize of £20,000 for educational purposes for the theatre team to share.

HEE’s 2007 Innovation Competition was open to staff working in all branches of the NHS throughout Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Norfolk and Suffolk, to put forward ideas for products, software and services which will benefit the patient experience. This year it attracted 81 entries.

Dr Peter Blenkinsop, Chief Executive of HEE, said: “This is the third year for our Innovation Competition and once again we have been delighted by the number and standard of entries. Many congratulations to the staff from the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital for their innovations which will benefit many patients in the future.”