As detailed in May’s HEJ, the annual IHEEM awards have been ‘revised and reviewed’, and, from this year, are being opened up ‘to give the whole of the healthcare industry supply chain – rather than just the Institute’s members’ – the opportunity to participate.
The Awards will also include a new category celebrating the achievement of an organisation that has identified new products or services and successfully brought them to market, or adapted an existing product for a new market. Nominations for all the awards (apart from the Northcroft Silver Medal and the William E Schall Award), adhering to the eligibility criteria set out below, are invited from individuals, IHEEM branches, NHS, or private organisations, and should be submitted via the IHEEM website (www.iheem.org.uk), by 31 July. The Awards will be presented at a formal dinner on the first night of this year’s IHEEM Healthcare Estates Conference and Exhibition (see also pages 8 and 9). Details and eligibility criteria for all the ‘revised’ awards are as follows:
• The IHEEM Lifetime Achievement Award, which can be given posthumously, is presented to an individual who has given long service to the healthcare industry, either within the NHS or in the private sector, and made a significant contribution to their specialist field. The award-winner is selected from the nominations received by an Award Working Group established by the IHEEM Council, and receives an inscribed medal and certificate.
• The John Bolton Memorial Award for excellence in education, training, and development, is for a facilities directorate, NHS Trust, or health service provider to the NHS, that has contributed to the development, training, and career progression of their staff, and delivered service improvements in the estates and facilities field. The winning organisation will be selected from the nominations received by the IHEEM Education & Training Committee, and will receive an inscribed medal and certificate.
• The Lucas Scholarship Award goes to an individual who has made a significant contribution to the work and promotion of the Institute, or to the healthcare engineering and estate management profession. The awardwinner will be selected from the nominations received by the IHEEM Membership Committee, and will receive a certificate and a complimentary pass to the annual conference. r The Northcroft Silver Medal is presented to the author of the technical paper published in Health Estate Journal (the Institute’s monthly magazine) considered to have contributed most to the advancement of healthcare engineering. The technical paper must have been published in HEJ between August 2011 and June 2012, and should not have appeared in any other publication, but the paper may have been given at a branch meeting, IHEEM training seminar, or at the IHEEM annual conference. The award winner will be selected by the Education & Training Committee, and will receive a silver inscribed medal and a certificate.
• The William E Schall Award for excellence in medical technologies goes to a graduate who has made the best contribution while studying on the Medical Technologies Foundation Degree Course. The award-winner is selected by an Award Working Group established by the Council (it shall consist of a representative of the Institute, a representative from the University of Kingston upon Thames, and a representative from Eastwood Park), and will receive a cheque for £50 and a certificate. The assessment is based on the best student on the second year of the Foundation Degree academically, who has contributed to the course through interaction with fellow students and tutors. The winner will be encouraged to publish an article in HEJ based on work undertaken during their course.
• The new Best Innovative Product or Service of the Year Award will be judged by an independent panel from the responses received, and the winning organisation will receive a trophy and certificate. The award seeks to highlight organisations that have identified new products or services and successfully brought them to market, or adapted an existing product for a new market. Entrants will need to clearly demonstrate that there was a demand for the innovation, and that it has proven successful in line with the objectives set.
Runner-up or highly commended certificates will be presented for some of the awards categories where appropriate. The winners will be entitled to claim reasonable expenses (i.e. their travel costs and accommodation on the night of the Awards Ceremony). Where winners are a group of people, or an organisation, the entitlement will be for a maximum of two people. For the latest information, more on the Awards’ history, and the terms and conditions, visit the IHEEM website: www.iheem.org.uk/awards
