The following awards were given out in 2009.
Care Award for Excellence in the development of care for older people
This award was given to Dr Tammy Angel of West Hertfordshire NHS Trust for developing a new continence service. With the introduction of bladder scanners the team has reduced the number of inappropriate catheterisations and catheter-related urinary infections in West Hertfordshire. As well as improving outcomes this has also saved the Trust around £100,000.
Clinical Excellence Award for work that demonstrates an improved clinical outcome for patients
The Bupa Foundation Clinical Excellence Award has been given to Benedetta Rossi and her team in The Leicestershire and Rutland Hospice for developing a recognised patient pathway for patients living with motor neurone disease in Leicestershire and Rutland, enabling people with MND to have access to a high standard of care.
Communication Award for effective communication between healthcare professionals and patients
This year the Bupa Foundation Communication Award has been given to Dr Gillian Schiller and Saving Londoners' Lives, a partnership project aiming to increase the number of people in the capital with emergency life support skills. To date the project is running in 135 London schools with just under 80,000 children learning emergency life support skills.
Epidemiology Award for Excellence in the long-term study of a chronic disease
The Bupa Foundation Epidemiology Award went to Dr Mark Hamer for a study examining the association of walking speed with markers of heart disease in older adults. This showed that even a short-distance test can demonstrate the presence of underlying cardiovascular disease, making it useful for office-based settings in clinical practice.
Health at Work award for excellence in occupational medicine
Dr Stephen J Houston of bmi has won the Bupa Foundation Health at Work Award for a study into cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk in UK civil aviation pilots. This is the first time a CVD risk prediction model has been applied to pilots as an occupational group.
Patient Safety Award
The Bupa Foundation Patient Safety Award has this year been presented to Dr Peter Murphy of Salford Royal Foundation NHS Trust for a project aiming to halve the number of cardiac arrests within ward areas. Six changes critical for improved patient care were found and implemented in all wards.
Research Award for the best emerging medical researcher in the UK
This award was given to Dr Stuart C Clarke of the University of Southampton for a study aimed at detecting any changes to the nature of the pneumococcus bacteria since vaccination against pneumococcal disease was included in routine UK child immunisation. The research supports and provides confidence for pneumococcal vaccination policy. The award will help to continue research and monitoring of the effectiveness of this and other vaccines in the future.
