EHI Awards 2015 open for entries

Entries are now open for the EHI Awards 2015, which will be presented at a new venue in the heart of central London this autumn.

The annual awards recognise the great work being done by healthcare IT teams across the UK, and will culminate in a black-tie dinner at the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge hotel on Thursday, 1 October.

For the first time, the awards are being run by Informa, whose head of events, Neil Hadland, said: “The EHI Awards are an established part of the healthcare IT year, so we are delighted to be able to announce that they are open for entries.

“The 12 categories in this year’s awards give suppliers and trusts the chance to show how they are using IT to tackle the big issues in healthcare, from patient safety to efficiency and from supporting integrated care to opening up new services to patients.

“The new venue, right across the Thames from Parliament, will rightly give the winners the chance to celebrate in style.”

The categories for the EHI Awards 2015 are the same as in 2014, when a new ‘trust or health board of the year’ award was introduced, alongside a new personal award for a ‘rising star.’

Jon Hoeksma is the chief executive and editor of Digital Health Intelligence, which was established to run EHI News, EHI Intelligence, and the CCIO Leaders Network and Health CIO Network following the sale of the awards and EHI Live to Informa.

He said: “Every year, the judges look forward to finding out about the excellent work that is being done across the UK, and to being able to recognise the very best of those projects.

“This year, with a general election coming up, and some hard decisions about the future of the NHS to be taken afterwards, it is particularly important for IT professionals and suppliers to be able to show that they can deliver some of the big changes needed in health and social care.

“The awards provide a platform for them to do that – while delivering some well-deserved recognition for teams and individuals working on projects, systems, and software across the UK.”     

A full list of the awards categories, and guidance on how to enter, is available on their dedicated website. Entries will be open for the next two months, and must be received by 4pm on 8 May.

The awards will be judged by a panel of experts at a judging day in Leicester, at which the potential shortlist of entrants will be asked to present and answer questions about their programmes.

Last year, the overall award went to Blithe Computer Systems and Westminster and Chelsea NHS Foundation Trust, for the creation of a fully-automated sexual health testing service in Soho.

Jordan Arkell, business relationship executive for the company, said winning the award had raised the profile of its work, and “boosted morale” for everybody working at the company.

“Overall, our experience has been excellent, and the awards have really ensured that the right people are hearing about the innovative work we are doing,” he said.

Further information about the final element of the awards, the popular ‘healthcare IT champion of the year’, which is decided by the nominations and votes of EHI News readers, will be announced shortly.