IT & Digital Innovation Award

IT & Digital Innovation Award
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View the 2020 winners project showcase     Download the criteria guide

The health secretary’s NHSX programme is meant to fast track digital and technological transformation with the aim of making access to information easier. There is a push to reduce the variation by creating standards across NHS organisations and providing the tools needed to enable better services. The evolution of integrated care has added increased impetus to ensure this is done across organisational boundaries so that different organisations have connected services. Sometimes simple changes can have a huge effect; an update of an operating system, a move from white boards to patient flow display screens or even internal social and communication platforms. 

This award isn’t about devices or medical technologies; judges are looking for IT and tech teams from across the NHS who are implementing strategies and initiatives which are making life easier for staff and patients. Judges are interested in seeing IT projects which aim to deliver better outcomes, for example, through staff engagement, improved systems and processes, and connecting services and patient information. 

Eligibility

NHS organisations, trusts, systems, primary care and general practice. Partnerships between NHS organisations and suppliers are welcomed but the NHS organisation should be the primary entrant and would be listed as such.

Ambition

  • Provide a thorough analysis of the opportunities presented by the differing available technologies, and evaluation of which was selected as offering the greatest benefit for the problem presented. 
  • Explain how the project plan was informed by existing best practice or evidence.
  • Describe the targets and goals set and how patients and stakeholders were considered.
  • Outline the project team, including stakeholders and service-users
  • How was the initiative set to provide improved efficiency, value for the organisation and better staff and patient experiences?

Outcome

  • Provide evidence the project has led to improved value and efficiency enabling staff to provide better services
  • Judges are looking for a quantitative aspect with supporting information on improvements
  • Describe the impact on patient outcomes or experience
  • Provide testimonial evidence that staff have worked well with a new platform or service

Spread

  • How have the achievements and learnings from the initiative been replicated elsewhere whether within the organisation or across organisational boundaries?
  • What efforts have been made to share the best practice experience here with others?
  • Provide evidence in the form of communication or publication of sharing

Value

  • Judges are interested in results that are delivering financial value; improvements in care and efficiency as a direct result of the investment
  • How has the project improved patient experience, better capacity management or reduction in variation and inefficiency – creating value for taxpayers and patients alike. 
  • Has the team delivered a successful implementation, on time and to budget?

Involvement

  • Judges are looking for initiatives that have ensured engagement of all relevant parties. 
  • Evidence the engagement of clinical, operational and support staff in options appraisal, and in adapting any chosen systems for use in the service, department or organisation. Where appropriate, patient engagement should also be detailed. 
  • How were procurement and financial teams engaged? 
  • When working with external service providers explain the partnership or supply arrangement and how this was managed effectively.

To find out more

For all enquiries, please contact Awards Support on awardssupport@hsj.co.uk