NNUH wins Innovation Competition Award
A Consultant Endocrinologist at Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust was Highly Commended in the 2012 Innovation Competition organised by Health Enterprise East, the NHS Innovation Hub for the Eastern Region.
Dr Frankie Swords was recognised in the Disease Prevention, Screening & Diagnosis category for developing ‘Pre-clinic Assessments for New Endocrinology Referrals’.
All new referrals are now processed and vetted in a standardised way, with patients completing all tests before attending their first appointment. This enables consultants to focus on a thorough clinical assessment during the first appointment and allows them to explain the results and diagnosis on day one in most cases.
Awards were presented to winners by the TV presenter and broadcaster Maggie Philbin at a special NHS Innovation Awards Ceremony held on Wednesday 10th October at The Nucleus, Chesterford Research Park. Winners, where possible, will be supported by Health Enterprise East to progress their idea.
The 2012 competition was open to staff working in all branches of the NHS to put forward ideas for products and services which will benefit patients. This year it comprised five categories: Disease Prevention, Screening & Diagnosis; Surgical Disease Management; Therapeutic Disease Management; Long Term Disease Management and Care and MedTech.
Dr Anne Blackwood, Health Enterprise East Chief Executive, said: “In our seventh Annual Innovation Competition Awards, we are focusing on improving patient outcomes through integrated care pathways. Staff throughout the region have been applying across the five categories, with a total of 66 entries received.
“Innovation will play a vital role in enabling the future vision for integrated health and social care services to be realised. Point of care diagnostics, informatics, personalised healthcare and new medical technologies will all play a role in how services are delivered in the future for the benefit of the patient and those who care for them”.
“I should like to thank everyone who has taken part in this year’s competition and also our sponsors whose generosity and support is very much appreciated.”
Notes for editors
Health Enterprise East Limited is the NHS Innovation Hub for the Eastern Region.
We are committed to improving healthcare through supporting the development of innovative new products and services which meet the needs of the NHS. Health Enterprise East provides a broad range of services to NHS organisations, providing expert advice, funding and support to NHS innovators to translate their ideas into practice.
Operating within the NHS, Health Enterprise East also provides consultancy services to technology based companies looking to access the UK market. Health Enterprise East works with clinical key opinion leaders and senior NHS managerial, commissioning and procurement staff on a daily basis. Our NHS market assessments provide vital information for companies to ensure that their products are well targeted to the technical and business needs of the NHS, speeding up adoption of new technology by the NHS.
For further information please visit www.hee.org.uk.