Bright Ideas in Health Awards announce shortlist for North East and North Cumbria

The shortlist for the Bright Ideas in Health Awards in the North East and North Cumbria has been announced, which recognises the work done by frontline healthcare staff and SMEs involved in improving healthcare in the regions.

The list of finalists covers staff within the NHS and academia and has been organised by the Academic Health Science Network for the North East and North Cumbria (AHSN NENC), with winners receiving a cash prize and specialist support to develop their ideas.

The shortlist includes projects being delivered by clinical commissioning groups, NHS Foundation Trusts and universities covering several focus areas.

Dr Nicola Wesley, chief operations officer at the AHSN NENC, said: “The Bright Ideas in Health Awards showcase the work being delivered by dedicated teams in different healthcare settings across all corners of the region.

“It is a humbling and inspiring experience to hear about some of the fantastic projects and brilliant minds we have in the North East and North Cumbria. Every single innovation – whether it’s developing a new device or technology or improving the way a service is delivered – is commendable and I’d like to thank everyone who submitted entries to this year’s awards.”

The finalists in each category are as follows:

Service Improvement

• Together in a Crisis - Organisation commissioned by Newcastle Gateshead CCG
• Changing Health, Transform Programme - Organisation commissioned by Newcastle Gateshead CCG
• Recoco (The Recovery College Collective) - Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust
• A national programme to optimise the administration of chemotherapy to neonates and other challenging childhood cancer patients - Newcastle University
• North Tees and Hartlepool Education Alliance – a Clinical Education & Training Programme for Care Homes - North of England Commissioning Support Unit
• Community Admiral Nurse Service Improving the care to people living with dementia - Organisation commissioned by Newcastle Gateshead CCG
• Improving the efficiency of moving and handling training - County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust

Development of a Device or Technology

• Point-of-care diagnostics for Sepsis - Teesside University
• Innovative prognostic test for early-stage, cutaneous melanoma - Newcastle University
• Self-releasing Venous Tourniquet - North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust
• CareScan+ - North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust
• Videofluoroscopy Chair - Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
• BBV_TestPrompt: an innovative solution to improve blood-borne virus testing - South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Innovation Champion of the Year:

• The Pop up Hospital - Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
• Development of an online resource to support paediatric asthma care in the North East - Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
• Innovation Team City Hospitals Sunderland - City Hospitals Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust

Demonstrating an Impact of Patient Safety

• Pressure Area Care – spreading the knowledge - Cumbria Partnerships NHS Foundation Trust
• Improving patient safety with the AMBER Care Bundle, Deciding Right & Advance Care Planning - North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust
• Safety checklists in ERCP are associated with reduced post-ERCP pancreatitis rates - South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Research Impact: Improving patient care

• Leading Collaborations to Deliver Practice Changing Research - South Tyneside NHS Foundation Trust
• Rob Pickard Impact Legacy - Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
• Improving the Utility of Quantitative MRI in Children and Young people with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis: A Feasibility Study - Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

The ceremony takes place at the Newcastle Gateshead Hilton Hotel on 29^th November.