News
Liverpool Trust Excels at Innovation Awards
The Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Trust has swept the board at the fifth TrusTECH North West innovation awards.
The awards recognise NHS employees and teams who have used innovative ideas, services and medical products to help improve the care that patients receive. A record breaking 200 entries were received for this year’s awards, which were held at the Lowry Theatre, Salford Quays on Tuesday 6 November.
The trust picked up awards for two examples of innovation which included a new device that uses electrical currents to manage chest pain and for a pioneering interactive website that can be used to train future junior healthcare employees in taking routine, but potentially life-saving, patient observations.
David Trenbath, a clinical nurse specialist at the trust, is the brainchild of the device that safely and effectively manages chest pain for patients with chronic refractory angina, a chronic pain syndrome that can have a damaging effect on the quality of life of patients and their families. The device works by applying an electrical current to the skin, which stimulates nerve cells that temporarily block the transmission of pain sensations to the brain.
David said: “This new device has been developed, based on clinical assessment and patient involvement, to work at specific settings for chest pain that can be altered by the patient to avoid discomfort.”
The innovative interactive website has been developed by Dr Martin Leuwer, Honorary Consultant in Anaesthesia and Critical Care Medicine at the trust. The website provides simulations that mimic real life situations and can be used to provide training to junior staff. This ensures that staff do not have to go on expensive training courses and will lead to junior staff feeling more confident about their tasks and roles.
Dr Leuwer said: “Junior and inexperienced staff are often asked to undertake patient observations at regular intervals. The training provided by the website will reduce the risk of mistakes being made in patient assessments and will improve the quality of care received by a patient.”
Dr Leuwer was also awarded a special prize by NHS North West, the region’s Strategic Health Authority for the potential of the website to make a significant contribution to the NHS in the North West in delivering a world class service.
Dr Richard Deed, TrusTECH Innovation Unit Manager, said: “This year’s awards have seen some excellent examples of innovation. The Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Trust shown has shown that its innovations can improve the lives of patients and David and Dr Leuwer should be congratulated for their excellent achievements. I am sure these innovations will continue to provide many benefits to patients for years to come.”
As an outright winner David Trenbath picked up a top prize of £1000. Dr Leuwer was named as a joint first prize winner in his category with Manchester Mental Health and Social Care NHS Trust and so received a shared sum of £500. In addition Dr Leuwer also collected £1000 as the winner of the NHS North West overall award. All prize money will be expected to be spent on ensuring their innovative entries improve the care that patients receive.
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Image (right top): Professor David Groves (Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Trust) accepted the award at the ceremony on behalf of David Trenbath
Image (right bottom): Jan Leuwer (Designer and New Media Artist), Dr Martin Leuwer (Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Trust) and Sir David Henshaw (Chair, NHS North West).
NOTES TO EDITORS: For more information on TrusTECH and the awards please contact Emma Smith, Communications Officer on 0161 276 6964.
• Dr Martin Leuwer was awarded joint first prize in the Training or Educational Materials category of the North West NHS Innovation Awards 2007.
• David Trenbath was awarded first prize in the Medical Devices, Equipment, Diagnostics or Therapeutics category of the North West NHS Innovation Awards 2007.
• Applicants submitted entries into four categories this year – (1) Training or Educational Materials; (2) Medical Devices, Equipment, Diagnostics or Therapeutics; (3) Software or Systems; (4) Service Improvements or Developments.
• TrusTECH was established in early 2001, as a partnership between Central Manchester and Manchester Children's University Hospitals NHS Trust, the Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Trust and the University of Central Lancashire.
• TrusTECH serves 55 NHS Trusts across the North West.
• TrusTECH is one of nine regional innovation hubs based in England and coordinated by the National Innovation Centre (NIC).