BU Research Blog

Are you and your team working on the cutting-edge science that is delivering the NHS of the future? Have you created an award winning health device or introduced a new innovation that benefits  patients and radically changes diagnosis or management?  NHS England are calling on the healthcare science community to put forward nominations for this year’s annual Healthcare Science Awards.

The awards, now in their 10th year, will be held on 29 February and 1 March as part of the annual healthcare science conference hosted by NHS Chief Scientific Officer for England, Professor Sue Hill OBE.  This year there are seven categories including:

• Healthcare Scientist of the Year;
• Healthcare science Rising Stars; (Life Sciences, Physiological, Medical Physics & Clinical Engineering, Bioinformatics) •Innovation in Scientific Services; •Improving Quality and Efficiency through Workforce Transformation; •STEM Engagement; •Healthcare Science Provider Organisation; and •Healthcare Science Patient and Public Participation.

Winners last year included Angela Douglas from Liverpool Women’s Hospital – awarded the Healthcare Scientist of the year – for the impact she has made on NHS Genetics over 35 years at a local, national and profession-wide basis; Professor Art Tucker – celebrated in the Service Innovation category for novel medical devices including one for DVT prevention.

The annual schools science conference and website created by the Science4U organising committee at Great Ormond Street secured the Ambassador of the Year category for the positive impact it has had on year 9-11 students, with many from less academic backgrounds. That conference now involves over 100 scientists and catered for 270 students and teachers last year.

The winners will be announced at an event in central London. Professor Sue Hill OBE, NHS Chief Scientific Officer for England, said: “The NHS Constitution makes it clear that a central principle of the health service is that it ‘operates at the limits of science.’ These awards showcase the incredible contribution healthcare scientists make to patients’ health care and it is only right to celebrate the talent and achievements of the NHS.

“We are keen to capture and highlight the world-leading science that is going on in services up and down the country and are urging people to get their nominations in by 17 February.

“These awards are a key highlight of the annual Chief Scientific Officer’s conference and nominations are invited from individuals, groups and teams of healthcare scientists from across the profession who have made an exceptional contribution.”

Details of the categories, entry forms and guidance on nomination is available on the NHS Networks website. Completed nomination forms should be returned to england.cso@nhs.net no later than 17 February.

The Health Service Journal is supporting this year’s awards.

More details of last year’s winners and finalists can be found on the NHS Networks website.