NHS staff in the running for £10k win

Pioneering staff at the Dudley Group of Hospitals are in the running for £10,000 and national recognition.

Two trail-blazing medical projects have been shortlisted for the fourth annual MidTECH awards honouring inventions and innovations developed by NHS workers.

Physicians in Dudley have developed hand-held notes for pregnant women with diabetes meaning doctors and nurses can have access to their health records at all times.

And a new lighter breast prosthesis developed at the Trust is also in line for an award and a possible share of a £10,000 prize fund to be spent on further work on the schemes.

The winners will also qualify for the National NHS Innovation Awards in London on December 3.

The 12 shortlisted projects were selected from more than 40 entries in the West Midlands.

Other Trusts whose work has been praised include the Royal Wolverhampton Hospitals NHS Trust, Mid-Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust and Birmingham Children's NHS Foundation Trust.

The winners will be announced and presented with trophies and cheques at a ceremony at Thinktank at Millennium Point in Birmingham on November 27.

MidTECH chief executive David Gleaves said: "This year's competition is particularly special because it is the 60th anniversary of the NHS – an organisation which has always been at the forefront of international healthcare and is still the envy of the world. The standard of entries is extremely high."