Health teams show their initiative
March 2007Teams from the Faculty of Medical and Human Sciences were nominated in two categories at the Department of Health's Health and Social Care Awards in February, which celebrates the UK's pool of talent and initiative in the provision of frontline care.
The Eyes and Tobacco Study Team, led by the School of Medicine's Dr Judith Thornton and Dr Simon Kelly of Bolton Hospitals NHS Trust, was nominated in the 'Improving Health and Wellbeing' category, for a programme designed to reduce smoking-related eye disease.
Although smoking is strongly associated with common sight-threatening eye conditions, the inter-professional team suspected that this was little known. They therefore developed a programme of research and education targeting policy makers, healthcare professionals, the public and patients.
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| (L-R) Ron Hopkins (Bolton Hospitals NHS Trust), Steve Winyard (RNIB), Simon Kelly, Judith Thornton | MRC Hearing and Communications Group: (cw from back) Peter Rottier and Alan Campbell of Group partner Northgate Information Solutions, Patricia Philips of Stockport PCT, Robert Ryman of Siemens Ltd, Dan Bayley of the MRC H&C Group, Andy Philips from Reading NHS Trust, Kate Davis (Adrian's wife), Adrian Davis, Pauline Smith and Sonya Clark of the MRC H&C Group |
Their work confirmed the causal link between smoking and eye disease and low public awareness of this, and their engagement of healthcare leaders and policy-makers resulted in commitment in principle from the UK’s Chief Medical Officer and European Commission to consider including blindness warnings on cigarette packets.
The MRC Hearing and Communications Group, based in the School of Psychological Sciences and led by Professor Adrian Davis, was also nominated - in the 'Innovative Technology' category.
The Group was recognised for the Hearscreen device it has developed in collaboration with engineering company Siemen Ltd and recently piloted at Stockport Primary Care Trust. It was designed to screen adults for hearing impairment in clinical settings, and is expected to significantly cut patients’ waiting times.
The awards ceremony was presented by Radio 2’s Jeremy Vine, and high-profile presenters included the Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt MP and Chief Medical Officer Sir Liam Donaldson.