By demonstrating outstanding progress, the electro-biomedical engineering (EBME) department at Bedford Hospital NHS Trust has won the UK’s first Clinical Engineering Team of the Year Award.
Initiated was an innovative “spend to save” scheme which, vitally, obtained the full support of the Bedford Hospital NHS Trust. This allowed the department to invest in staff training and development, and then reap rewards through reducing more costly third party contracts. In addition, the team delivered consistently excellent service and technical integrity through reducing equipment downtime and improving the standard and reliability of devices.
The new award was launched earlier this year by Welch Allyn, a leading manufacturer of frontline medical products and solutions, to reward clinical engineers for their significant and often under-recognised contribution to healthcare in the UK.
Stuart Norris, EBME manager at Bedford Hospital NHS Trust, commented that the whole team had been delighted the department received the award, and added: “The department is committed to continual improvement and in the coming year we will be looking to make further cost reductions while also expanding our service provision.”
The award was presented at the seventh annual Completing the Picture educational symposium, which was recently held at the Silverstone motor racing circuit. The winning EBME department will receive £2,000 of Welch Allyn equipment as well as a £1,000 educational grant.
EBME departments are currently being encouraged to enter for the 2009 Clinical Engineering Team of the Year Award. Details about the entry criteria can be obtained by sending an e-mail to clinengteam@hsdcomm.com
