Blackpool Teaching Hospitals wins two major innovation and research awards

Teams at Blackpool Teaching Hospitals walked away with two top awards at a ceremony last night recognising research and innovation.

The Trust’s Health Informatics team was recognised by the North West Coast Research and Innovation Awards 2022 for its work on the pioneering COVID-19 Digital Staff Passport project, run in conjunction with NHS England and NHS Improvement.

The passport allows pre-employment checks for new hires and employees being transferred between NHS institutions in under five minutes – eliminating a lengthy, manual process.

The team won the Innovation in Workforce Deployment category which recognised organisations which ‘are trying to increase workplace productivity, promote flexibility and respond in an agile manner to increased demand.’

Philip Graham, Digital Programme Director at the Trust said: “It is fantastic to be recognised at the North West Coast Research and Innovation Awards for two reasons, firstly because this is our local health and care colleagues recognising the work we are doing and secondly because the group view many innovative solutions and to win an award in such esteemed company is humbling. I am very proud of the team in BTH and beyond (NHSE/I and suppliers) for their drive and vision to help other colleagues.”

Meanwhile the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Patient Recruitment Centre at Blackpool Teaching Hospitals, one of just five in the country, was recognised for the work it has done in partnership with Fylde Coast Clinical Research based at Layton Medical Centre.

The partnership won the Research Collaboration of the Year award which recognised good examples of research collaboration between organisations delivering healthcare in the region.

Dr Angela Parker, NIHR NPRC Manager, Blackpool and Manager for Research, Development and Innovation at the Trust, said: “It was a great night for Blackpool Teaching Hospitals and we are so proud to be recognised in this way.

“The award recognised the work we’ve been doing in partnership for the last 18 months, particularly around the COVID vaccine work – we’ve delivered two vaccine studies working together with Fylde Coast Clinical Research and recruited more than 800 participants from across our community

“But it’s also about the fact we’ve successfully worked together, sharing resources, shared expertise and experiences, delivering studies which support our local community and make a real difference to people’s lives.”

The North West Coast Research and Innovation Awards are run to recognise a strong commitment to innovation with research, and examined entries for criteria including the reach and significance of innovation, collaboration, engagement and evaluation.

To request your own digital staff passport, follow the 8 simple steps. Find out what’s next on the project.

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