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Click below to nominate yourself or someone else for an award

Please note, you are only able to enter a maximum of 2 categories per person, team or organisation.

Click below to see the full list of categories available - with eligibility requirements, criteria and example entries from similar categories in 2011.

For help, please see our top ten hints and tips which could be invaluable in assisting you to submit a high-quality entry in good time for our deadline of 28th February 2012.

Good luck!

Research Paper of the Year

This award recognises original research that has the potential to contribute significantly to improving health and health care

Judging Criteria

The expert panel of judges will be looking for a research paper that most demonstrates;

Potential to help doctors make better decisions about clinical practice, public health, research methodology, or health policy
Potential to improve health outcomes for patients and/or population
An important addition to previous knowledge
Scientific robustness and international relevance

Eligibility

Open to UK and international authors, including BMJ authors
The research paper must have been published after 1 January 2011

See 2011 shortlisted papers

Improvement in Patient Safety

This award recognises teams making measurable improvements to quality and safety of health care

Judging Criteria

The panel of expert judges will be looking for the project or initiative that most demonstrates;

A clear strategy for quality improvement
A measurable improvement in effectiveness, safety, and/ or patient experience, as evidenced by an improvement in outcomes that matter to patients (effectiveness and safety: morbidity or mortality; patient experience, as shown by validated survey instruments or other tools) sustained for at least 12 months or developed into further improvements
Extension of the initiative, for example, improvement in other outcomes in the
same unit or extension of the original improvement to more units in the same organisation/system
Novelty either of objectives or approach, or innovative service delivery

A link between the initiative and real patient benefit

Eligibility

Open to UK-based organisations and teams only
Initiative must have started after 1 January 2009 and have been sustained for at least 12 months

See 2011 shortlisted entry for similar category

Clinical Commissioning Team of the Year

Judging Criteria

The panel of expert judges will be looking for a clinical commissioning team that has demonstrated one or more of the following:

A mature organisation with good governance arrangements
Undertaken a commissioning or decommissioning activity that has incorporated some or all of the following approach:

- evidence of local need
- stakeholder engagement – e.g. other public sector organisations, the third sector, the public
- priority setting
- evidence based service design
- development of evidence based metrics

Evidence of strong leadership demonstrating comprehensive engagement with member practices
Evidence of meaningful patient and public engagement that has contributed to the work of the clinical commissioning team

Eligibility

Open to UK-based organisations and teams only

Working in Partnership

This award recognises an outstanding project developed in partnership between separate organisations that has improved patient care

Judging criteria

Expert judges will be looking for collaborations between organisations that enhance capabilities and/or capacity and which deliver results that would have been difficult or impossible to achieve without joint-working. Teams and organisations may come from any sector – commercial, public or third – and involve two or more parties.

Show a clear commitment to partnership
Have delivered measurable improvements in outcomes in health care, where possible, in line with approved national guidelines
Be cost-effective and sustainable
Address a significant health challenge
Be innovative

Eligibility

Open to medical teams and organisations which have worked in partnership with external - including charities or social services and other commercial organisations – to improve patient outcomes. It is open to UK-based teams in either primary or secondary care.
Entries should be based on achievements delivered and/or reported in 2011.

The Karen Woo Award

This award recognises an individual who has gone well beyond the call of duty to care for patients.

Judging Criteria

Judges will be looking for someone who has made a real difference and who has gone out of their way to help patients. The winner will have made a special contribution that exemplifies medicines traditional values of altruism, service, and courage.

The individual should:

Demonstrate a clear commitment to delivering high quality care in a challenging situation
Have gone above and beyond normal professionalism, possibly involving a degree of self-sacrifice or personal risk
Have addressed a significant health challenge

Eligibility

Open to UK doctors of any grade or specialty nominated by a voluntary, membership or employing organisation with which they are associated. Entries should be based on contributions made in 2011.
Any organisation patient groups, healthcare trusts and other providers may nominate an individual but the awards team will also approach selected organisations to seek nominations. Such bodies are likely to include: voluntary organisations, health charities, aid agencies and medical associations, societies and colleges.

Excellence in Healthcare Education

This award recognises a project which demonstrates outstanding innovation in health care education and performance improvement

Judging Criteria

The panel of expert judges will be looking for a project that demonstrates:

An impact on improving health care education of health care practitioners through education practice, policy or research
Innovation in objectives and methods
A commitment to evaluation
Successful communication of results
Successful adoption and uptake by a wide group

Eligibility

The project must have started after 1 January 2010
Open to only UK-based entrants

See 2011 shortlisted entries

Clinical Leader of the Year

This award recognises motivational and inspirational leaders who have led clinical teams to achieve real service improvements

Judging Criteria

The expert panel of judges will be looking for an individual whose work most demonstrates;

A measurable improvement in patient care
Outstanding leadership putting quality of care and patient safety at the heart of service delivery
Successful engagement with their clinical colleagues or non-clinical team in order to deliver transformational and innovative change for the benefits of patients, staff and public

Eligibility

Open to UK doctors only
Initiatives must have started after the 1 January 2010

See 2011 shortlisted entry for similar category

Healthcare Communication Campaign

Recognising a campaign or a communication to educate patients on health

Judging Criteria

The panel of expert judges will be looking for an individual who has shown;

Impact on the public understanding of health
Potential to change the way people think about an important issue
Imaginative and effective methods of communication that are appropriate for the intended audience
Balance and accuracy
Awareness of the need to base campaigns on an evidence base

Eligibility

Open to UK health campaigners, journalists, broadcasters and healthcare communications agencies, patient groups, commercial organisations, charities, and government agencies
Anyone who has published/promoted/broadcast information about health education after 1, January 2011
Can be either a public health or patient communication campaign

See 2011 shortlisted entry for similar category

Sport and Exercise Team of the Year

This award recognises teams making a valuable contribution to promoting physical activity, improving the care of athletes or medical services to the sporting community.

Judging Criteria

The panel of expert judges will be looking for the team project or initiative that most demonstrates;

A clear strategy.
Measurable improvement in physical activity participation, health care in athletes or management of illness or injury in the sporting community.
These teams should demonstrate a commitment beyond what would normally be expected in their role.

Eligibility

Open to UK-based organisations and teams only
Initiative must have started after 1 January 2011

Junior Doctor of the Year

This award acknowledges the doctor in training who has most notably contributed to medicine or healthcare, and significantly impacted on the wellbeing of the wider community.

Judging Criteria

The panel of expert judges will be looking for an individual who:

Has demonstrably enhanced the health and wellbeing of the wider community
Have inspired others through their outstanding dedication to improving or initiating innovative healthcare practices

Eligibility

Open to UK junior doctors only
Entries should be based on contributions made in 2011

See 2011 shortlisted entry for this category

Transforming Patient Care using Technology

This award recognises the role that technology plays in improving efficiencies as well as outcomes for patients

Particular note will be taken of innovations that are transformative and also have the evidence (ideally quantitative) to support the real improvement in the cost effective delivery of health outcomes that matter to patients

Judging Criteria

The expert panel of judges will be looking for new and innovative use of health technology that has: