Haemochromatosis UK is delighted to announce that their collaboration with the Welsh Blood Service has been shortlisted for Acute Sector Innovation of the Year at the HSJ Awards, recognising an outstanding contribution to healthcare and securing a place at the prestigious awards ceremony later this year.

1350+ entries have been received for this year’s Awards, with 234 projects and individuals reaching the final shortlist. The high volume and exceptional quality of applications showcases the impressive levels of innovation and care continually being developed within the UK’s healthcare networks.

Following the thorough judging process, Haemochromatosis UK & WBS were shortlisted, ahead of the official awards ceremony to be held later this year. The nomination recognosis their joint collaboration to enable individuals with Genetic Haemochromatosis (GH) to donate blood with the Welsh Blood Service from day 1 following diagnosis. The project stood out as a real ‘success story’ worthy of a prized place on the panel’s shortlist.

This project demonstrates a truly collaborative approach in addressing system-wide issues around sustainable blood supply, which brought together secondary care, a specialist donor service and the third sector. Patient-led charity Haemochromatosis UK helped the Welsh Blood Service devise system improvements with Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board to enable prospective donors with Genetic Haemochromatosis to access WBS therapeutic donor services upon diagnosis, delivering a sustainable blood supply for use across Wales in other secondary care settings. 

This ground-breaking initiative delivered cost savings and waste reductions whilst integrating donor services as a key component in care pathways for long-term patient benefit.

Neil McClements, Chief Executive of Haemochromatosis UK said “We are delighted to be shortlisted with our colleagues at WBS for Acute Sector Innovation of the Year at the HSJ Awards 2024. It will be a huge boost for our dedicated and hard-working teams, especially in a year when the competition was so tough with an unprecedented volume of entries from so many other equally deserving NHS organisations.

“Whatever the result ‘on the night’, we already feel like winners for getting this far and are so proud to have the opportunity to share our success with colleagues from across the entire NHS, as well as showcasing everything we’ve learnt through implementing our project.”

Dr Edwin Massey, Medical Director of the Welsh Blood Service said “Haemochromatosis UK and the Welsh Blood Service aim to save lives and help patients. It has been very rewarding enabling people in Wales with haemochromatosis to maintain their own health and provide donations of blood for patients who need it. Being shortlisted for a Health Service Journal award is great additional feedback on the ongoing achievements of the collaborative team.”

HSJ editor Alastair McLellan, adds; “It always gives me great pleasure to congratulate our  finalists at     this stage of the judging process and this year is no exception as we acknowledge Haemochromatosis UK and the Welsh Blood Service for being shortlisted in the category of Acute Sector Innovation of the Year.

“However, it’s always important to remember that the HSJ Awards are not just a celebration of success stories but also a platform to shape the future of the NHS.

The selected winners will be announced during the awards ceremony at Evolution London on 21st November 2024.
 
The event will not only reflect the HSJ Awards’ enduring ethos of “sharing best practice, improving patient outcomes and innovating drivers of better service” but will also serve as a timely and well-deserved thank you to the sector.

The 2024 awards judging panel was once again made up of a diverse range of highly influential and respected figures within the healthcare community, including; Stephen Powis, National Medical Director, NHS England, Rosa Waddingham, Chief Nurse, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire ICB and Matthew Style, Director General, Secondary Care and Integration Department of Health & Social Care, as well as a range of esteemed Chief Executives from NHS Trusts across the UK.

The full list of nominees for the 2024 HSJ awards can be found at https://awards.hsj.co.uk/.