The winner of the Innovation Voucher competition has been revealed as a team from Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
The Competition
Run by leading NHS MedTech innovation consultancy Health Tech Enterprise (HTE) and sponsored by Smallfry, an industrial design consultancy, the HTE Innovation Voucher competition is designed to reward the most novel ideas in MedTech innovation with vouchers donated by Smallfry worth the equivalent of up to £3,000 of the company’s time in-kind, to enable the innovators behind winning technologies to develop their ideas.
The Winner
The winning team is led by Helen Doyle, an advanced Neonatal Nurse Practitioner whose innovative solution aims to improve the process of finding veins in neonates. The team will use its Innovation Voucher with Smallfry to develop an initial concept of the device to be used to help secure further grant funding for development and testing.
Dr Karen Law, Head of Innovation at HTE, commented “We are pleased to support our client Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Trust employee Helen Doyle with this Innovation Voucher to help develop this innovative solution to improve neonatal care. Our Innovation Voucher Scheme has been running since 2014 and seen numerous innovations progress and go on to attract further funding and investment which demonstrates the importance of our Innovation Vouchers. Accessing technical expertise is vital for the success of early-stage development and we are very grateful to our sponsors Smallfry who will work closely with the team to kick-start the development of this important innovation”.
“Smallfry is delighted to be involved in this initiative. Supporting early-stage innovators like Helen, who bring first-hand insight from the frontline of healthcare, is where we can add real value. We’re looking forward to working with the team to help translate their first-hand insight into a practical solution with the potential to meaningfully improve the future of neonatal care.” – Steve May-Russell, Smallfry CEO
Discussing the win, Helen Doyle said, “I was delighted to be chosen as the winner for this award. What literally started off as a glimmer of an idea, has turned into an opportunity to actually see something developed that could genuinely make a difference for neonatal population. This is not something I ever could/would have done by myself, and so having the opportunity and support from Smallfry and the HTE team is fantastic”
About Health Tech Enterprise
HTE is a health technology consultancy that works to improve people’s health. They collaborate with innovators in the medical technology industry, healthcare institutions and academia to turn innovative ideas into patient-benefitting products. HTE’s advisory services provide the insights, evidence and impact needed to overcome market access barriers and accelerate the adoption of new healthcare technologies.
For further information about the services HTE offers to its NHS clients, please visit: https://www.healthtechenterprise.co.uk/nhs-innovations/overview/
About Smallfry
Smallfry is an industrial design consultancy with over 50 years’ experience developing successful medical devices. They work closely with a range of clients to design, develop, and commercialise innovative product solutions that not only improve patient outcomes but also achieve commercial success.
For further information please visit: www.smallfry.com
