Innovation – in patient pathways or in service design – is the lifeblood of healthcare. We look at some of the groundbreaking new medical technologies that gained awards and other accolades in 2009.
JANUARY
• Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust won the Innovation and Progress Transformation Award in the Guardian Public Services Awards 2008 for its use of the BloodTrack suite of products from Olympus UK to achieve 100% correct identification of transfusion patients.
FEBRUARY
• Nine products won a national competition to find new ways of helping the NHS to combat healthcare-associated infections (HCAIs). They were chosen from around 250 applications to the Smart Solutions for HCAI programme run by TrusTECH, the North West of England NHS Innovation Hub. The winning products, which have since been trialled in the NHS, were:
* AirManager from Quest International (UK). This uses Close Coupled Field Technology (CCFT) to destroy microbes in the air.
* Formula 429 and Formula 429 plus from Chemspec Europe. This cleaning product contains a biocidal formulation that is harmless to humans.
* Liquid glass layering technology from Nanopool. This coating system protects surfaces and makes them easy to clean using water alone.
* Medixair from GE Healthcare. This portable ultraviolet air sterilisation device can kill airborne micro-organisms.
& MedMat from Ergomedica. This two-layer mat system separates the clean from the dirty elements of a procedure and captures waste in a sealable bag.
* Recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) from TwistDx. This can be used to screen patients for HCAIs within 15 minutes at the point of care.
* The AD (air disinfection unit) from Inov8 Science. The AD emits hydroxyl radicals that destroy pathogens.
* UV lighting equipment from UV Light Technology. These inspection lamps can reveal contamination invisible to the naked eye.
* V-Link with VitalShield protective coating from Baxter Healthcare. This device is the first antimicrobial needle-free IV connector in the UK.
MARCH
• Diagnostic imaging company InHealth and the Croydon GP Federation, working in partnership, won the ‘Improving Patient Access’ Award at the HSJ 2008 Awards presented by Health Secretary Alan Johnson. The award was given to the pilot scheme ‘Diagnostics in the Community’, which has delivered improvements in patient access to echocardiography, ultrasound and MRI services in Croydon.
APRIL
• Five companies were recognised in the Medilink UK Awards 2009, which celebrate outstanding achievement in the UK healthcare sector. The nominees were the winners of the regional Medilink Awards, selected by a panel of sector specialists from the 12 UK regions.
* The UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) Export Achievement Award was won by Yorkshire-based Inditherm Medical. The company, which designs and manufactures heating and warming products for use in clinical environments, increased its export sales by 338% in 2008.
* The Health Technologies KTN Innovation Award went to The Binding Site Ltd – the Birmingham-based immunodiagnostics company responsible for developing Freelite, an immunoassay used to diagnose and monitor multiple myeloma cancer cells found in bone marrow.
* The BERR (Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform) Growth in Sector Award was won by Tynetec Ltd. In 2008 this North-East company, which designs and manufactures social alarms, telecare sensors and access control systems, increased its turnover by 29.9%.
* The NHS National Innovation Centre (NIC) Partnership with the NHS Award went to Home Telehealth Ltd. This Cardiff-based company collaborated with the South East NHS Trust to deliver a telehealth care model that led to reductions in hospital admissions, hospital stays and GP visits.
* The NIHR (National Institute for Health) Research Start Up Award was won by Nottingham-based 4FX Healthcare Ltd, whose baby healthcare product range includes an award-winning nasal aspirator designed to safely clear congestion from babies’ noses.
JUNE
• Winners of the Queen’s Awards for 2009 included: Armstrong Medical Ltd (disposable anaesthesia products), Cambridge Consultants (technology solutions), PKL Group (UK) Ltd (portable operating tables for military use), Rayner Intraocular Lenses Ltd (intraocular lens implants), Beamer Ltd (all-terrain mobility vehicles for disabled persons), Disposable Cubicle Curtains Ltd (disposable cubicle curtains for hospitals), Possum Ltd (electronic devices to assist disabled persons at home); SLE Ltd (neonatal life support systems) and Vascutek (first pre-assembled biological heart valve and vascular graft).
• At Naidex 2009, the UK’s biggest exhibition for assistive technologies, the New Product of the Year Award (voted on by delegates) went to the Volker Vis-à-Vis Care Bed from Bakare Beds Ltd, the design of which facilitates independent movement by the user.
JULY
• The Mammomat Inspiration digital mammography system from Siemens Healthcare received two design awards: the iF Product Design Award 2009 in the medicine/healthcare category and the red dot 2009 award for product design. The Mammomat Inspiration includes the MoodLight feature, which emits relaxing colours to improve the patient experience.
SEPTEMBER
• Yorkshire company Trio Healthcare, whose specialist silicone-based medical devices are sold across much of Europe as well as Japan and America, was among 100 businesses recognised for their export achievements by Prime Minister Gordon Brown at a Downing Street reception.
OCTOBER
• The world’s first multi-articulating bionic hand, the i-LIMB Hand from Edinburgh-based Touch Bionics, was recognised in the 2009 Wall Street Journal Technology Innovation Awards: it won the Silver Award overall and gained top honours in the Medical Devices category. The awards celebrate breakthrough technological advances that deliver major improvements. Since its launch in 2007, the i-LIMB Hand has been fitted in over 40 countries.
NOVEMBER
• Oxfordshire company Glide Pharma was praised by Lord Davies, Minister for Trade, Investment and Small Business, as an example of the ability of British life sciences to generate export trade. Glide Pharma’s Glide SDI device uses a spring to deliver needle-free injections. Lord Davies said: “Anyone who has ever had to take a child for an injection will appreciate the benefits of this invention. Glide Pharma is a trailblazer in that it is taking this device to the world.”
• Leeds company Brandon Medical won the Outstanding Business Achievement and Technology through Innovation awards at the National Chambers Awards 2009. The awards recognised Brandon’s new HD-LED medical lighting and Symposia medical audio-visual systems.
DECEMBER
• NHS Supply Chain’s ‘Top 10 innovations of 2009’ list was announced to follow the launch of its ‘Innovation Scorecard’ process. The list is a showcase of innovative medtech products that illustrate how the Supply Chain defines value for the NHS:
* Haemoband Surgical Suction Ligator (Seward Thackray) – makes ligation quicker and easier.
* Baby Life Support Pouch (BLI Healthcare) – combats hypothermia in premature babies.
* Integuseal Microbiant Sealant (Kimberley Clark) – forms a protective layer on the skin throughout surgical procedures.
* Endobronchial Blocker Tube (Smiths) – simplifies blockade of left or right lung during procedures.
* RhinoPinch Nose Clip (MDTi) – stems nosebleeds.
* Fios First Entry (Applied Medical) – creates an open peritoneal space with minimal penetration.
* Single Incisional Access Port (Covidien UK) – enables multiple instrument access through a single incision in the navel.
* Vygon Timestrip – single-use peripheral cannula dwell time indicator.
* Curtain and Blind Cleaning System (OTEX) – uses ‘ozonated’ water to kill bacteria and viruses.
* Dyson Airblade – dries hands by ‘scraping’ water off with air jet.
• At the Nexxus Life Science Awards 2009, two medtech companies were recognised for their outstanding contributions to the life sciences sector in the West of Scotland. Clydebank-based Tissue Solutions, which supplies human tissue to life science companies worldwide, won the Most Promising Young Life Science Company Award. Renfrewshire-based Vascutek won the Nexxus 2009 Life Science Award for Innovation with its BioValsalvaan implant, which simultaneously replaces a diseased heart valve and its main artery.
• Sorin Group and Orange Business Communications were acclaimed as ‘Best Change Maker’ by the telecommunications industry at the World Communication Awards for their remote monitoring solution for cardiac patients, which uses M2M and e-health technologies to record readings from implanted cardiac rhythm management devices and transmit the findings to clinicians through an IP network.
• Surrey company JAOtech, which designs and manufactures bedside ‘smart terminals’ for hospitals, won the Best Use of Technology award at the Startups Awards 2009. The awards, which celebrated the UK’s outstanding new businesses, were organised by Startups.co.uk, a UK website for people starting and running their own businesses.