Member Article

North East Innovators Urged to Enter Bright Ideas in Health Awards

North East innovators are urged to submit their entries to a prestigious competition to find the next pioneering ideas in healthcare.

Now in its 15th year, the Bright Ideas in Health Awards competition celebrates and rewards the ground-breaking work emerging from front line NHS staff, academia and SMEs in the North East and North Cumbria.

It is organised by the team at the Academic Health Science Network North East and North Cumbria (AHSN NENC) who aim to drive innovation and ideas in healthcare from inception through to commercialisation. The award winners receive a cash prize to help progress their ideas as well as specialist support from innovation experts at AHSN NENC.

The AHSN team has recently been bolstered by new innovation managers Charlotte Fox and Mark Taylor who have a wealth of experience and expertise in the sector. The pair are working closely with NHS Foundation Trusts and Clinical Commissioning Groups in the region to highlight the benefits of entering the awards and encourage the submission of ideas.

Dr Nicola Wesley, Chief Operating Officer, AHSN NENC, said: “We are delighted to welcome Charlotte and Mark on board. Their skills and experience means they are ideally placed to support NHS Trusts and CCGs as they develop their innovations and look at pathways they can take to spread their adoption wider.

“We are encouraging healthcare professionals and teams working within the NHS, industry and academia to submit their entries to the awards and showcase the bright ideas that help to improve patient care and innovation in the NHS.”

Research and innovation have formed a key part of Charlotte Fox’s career to date. Prior to working in the NHS, Charlotte gained a degree in Biomedical Sciences and MSc in Drug Discovery and Development. She was a postgraduate oncology research assistant at the University of Sunderland with a specific interest in proteomics and genomics.

Charlotte started out her career by working as a Clinical Trials Officer, facilitating clinical trials across several specialities at Sunderland Royal Hospital. Since this time, Charlotte has managed innovation across City Hospitals Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust and South Tyneside NHS Foundation Trust, working with the Research and Innovation department to develop the infrastructure to facilitate bright ideas from staff which could be developed collaboratively with regional SMEs and Universities.

While working for City Hospitals Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust, Charlotte was involved in the winning entry in the 2017 Innovative Device category of the Bright Ideas in Health Awards and has had several ideas shortlisted. She is also a member of the Q community which works together to improve health and social care quality across the UK and leads a regional community of practice for innovation in healthcare.

Charlotte said: “I’d encourage anyone with a great idea – whether it’s a groundbreaking piece of technology or a better way of delivering a service – to enter the competition, as the awards can lead to new opportunities to develop your ideas further. It is a really exciting time to be working in healthcare in the North East and I am looking forward to finding out more about this year’s entrants.”

Mark Taylor joined the AHSN NENC from the Local Clinical Research Network (LCRN) where he held a number of roles including Research Operations Manager (Medical Technology) and Study Support Coordinator. Mark will work within the Economic Growth workstream and assist non-commercial entities in developing, commercialising and gaining adoption of their innovations.

Mark said: “It’s great to join such a forward-thinking team and at a particularly exciting time. One of the great things about the Bright Ideas in Health Awards is the potential for the real world application of the healthcare innovations and the benefits that they can bring about for the NHS. Ultimately, innovation is about spreading the adoption of ideas and sharing knowledge to achieve better outcomes for patients and it’s great to be on board and working with our healthcare partners to encourage the submission of ideas.”

The Awards are open to all healthcare professionals, including those in Primary and Secondary care, academia, and regional SMEs engaged in healthcare, and are designed to show how everyone can play their part in improving innovation. There are five categories this year: Development of an Innovative Device or Technology; Service Improvement; Innovation Champion of the Year; Demonstrating an Impact upon Patient Safety and Research Impact: Improving Patient Care.

The winners of each category will be announced at a special ceremony on Thursday 29th November 2018, at the Newcastle Gateshead Hilton Hotel, attended by hundreds of key decision makers including Chief Executives of regional NHS Foundation Trusts, Clinical Commissioning Groups, leading healthcare professionals and local Government representatives, as well as representatives from industry and academia.

The Bright Ideas in Health Awards are sponsored by: Clinical Research Network North East and North Cumbria; Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust; South Tyneside and Sunderland Healthcare Group; Sintons LLP; North East Leadership Academy (NELA); University of Teesside, University of Newcastle, Archer IP and Centre for Process Innovation (CPI).

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Anna Hodgson .