In the fourth of our weekly articles guiding you through the categories for the 2014 Building Better Healthcare Awards, we are providing an overview of the hugely-popular Product class.
The seven awards in the category recognise the companies and individuals whose innovative ideas are helping to improve and enhance health and social care environments and the overall patient, staff and visitor experience.
This year the Product awards have been designed to reflect the key challenges facing the health and social care sector. For example, the judges are looking for products and other innovations that are helping trusts to tackle infections such as MRSA and C.difficile.
The Award for Best Product for Infection Prevention will be presented to a product that is helping to improve infection prevention and control within hospitals, health centres and social care environments. This can include, but is not restricted to, cleaning products, hygiene solutions, hand washing compliance systems, protective clothing, decontamination systems etc. It also includes safety products that reduce cross contamination, for example retractable needles; and antibacterial coatings and materials.
The Government’s call on providers to improve privacy and dignity for patients is also reflected in this year’s categories.
The Award for Best Product for Enhancing Privacy and Dignity is open to innovations such as products that enable the creation of same-sex inpatient and washroom environments within hospitals, privacy screens and curtains, and patient clothing.
There are also two awards highlighting products that are helping health and social care providers to save money and increase efficiencies.
The Award for Best Product for Improving Working Practices covers, but is not restricted to, solutions that help the NHS’s drive to become a paperless service (IT systems, electronic solutions, digital dictation, transcription etc); communications devices (digital whiteboards etc); or products of any type that help to reduce the time taken to carry out essential tasks.
The Award for Best Product for Securing Financial Efficiencies will be presented to a product that is helping to reduce the cost of delivering health and social care services. With a lack of capital, and widespread budget cuts across the health and social care services, providers are being challenged to provide more for less. The judges will be looking for entries which measurably reduce costs, while enhancing services.
There is also the Award for Best Product for Sustainability and/or Reducing Energy. This reflects the Government’s target that is calling on NHS organisations to reduce their CO2 emissions by 80% by 2050. This tough call means suppliers and manufacturers are having to come up with innovative products that are energy efficient as well as finding new funding methods that trusts can afford to utilise.
The last two awards are for products that enhance the patient environment and medical outcomes.
The Award for Best Product for Improving the Patient Experience will include things like furniture, memory boxes, soft furnishings etc; while entries for the Award for Best Product for Improving Patient Outcomes will have to show how the equipment can help enhance surgical or medical care, leading to fewer side effects, shorter hospital stays or fewer follow-up treatments.
Jo Makosinski, editor of Building Better Healthcare and organiser of the awards, said: “The Product category always attracts entries from a wide spectrum of companies. This year we have made each award reflect the current health and social care marketplace.
“Companies, when creating and marketing products to the NHS, in particular, must prove that they meet current priorities, and at present these revolve around making financial and operational efficiencies, improving outcomes and the environment for patients, helping to reduce healthcare associated infections, and reducing carbon emissions, which is how we have chosen this year’s categories.
“Entrants should decide which of these priorities most fits their product, although they can enter more than one category for multiple chances of picking up a prize.”
Commenting on the entry process, she added: “When completing the forms, it is vital you explain clearly how the entry meets all the bulletpoints set out in the judging criteria, and that additional information enables the judges to picture the project in its entirety.
“It is important that the entry is completed by a senior member of the team as they are in the best position to describe the benefits and the thinking behind the project. In addition, entries need to be clearly written and succinct; dealing only with the details and impact of the project and how it will demonstrate improvements on what is currently available. This should be supported by genuine comments from patients and clinicians. If these guidelines are followed then the judges will have sufficient information on which to make an informed decision. If any of this information is lacking, then it could mean projects not getting through to the final stages of judging.”
Click here to read more about the awards, or on any of the award heading above to see the judging criteria.