AbbVie UK Launches Third Annual ‘Big Ideas for Better Health’ Awards

MAIDENHEAD, UK, For Immediate Release,May 22 2018 –AbbVie, a global biopharmaceutical company have today opened entries for their Big Ideas for Better Health Awards, which offer a £3000 bursary for innovative projects supporting the NHS to become more resilient and sustainable.

The awards – formerly known as the Patients as Partners awards - were launched in 2015 as a way to recognise, celebrate and share exceptional examples of improvements and innovation that demonstrate clear benefit to the lives of patients.

“There are so many examples of small teams and individuals thinking differently about familiar problems to deliver hugely successful results,” said Jerome Bouyer, General Manager at Abbvie UK. “We’re committed to championing initiatives that have the potential to benefit the NHS more widely and want to help transform these big ideas into action.”

The awards will be independently judged by a range of experts and the panel is led by Patients Association Chief Executive Rachel Power, who said: “It is the Patients Association’s mission that everyone should have the healthcare they need and that all our voices are heard in how they are delivered. We are always keen to recognize those who go above and beyond to empower patients and have the ambition to make the NHS even better – so I am excited to see the entries.”

Entry to the Big Ideas for Better Health Awards is free and open to any UK-based healthcare professionals, healthcare oganisations or patient groups who are working on an innovative project in one of the following areas:

• Delivering care closer to home
• Supporting self-management and self-care
• Driving prevention and early intervention

Submissions for the awards will close on 27^th July 2018 and one winner will be selected per category later this year by an independent panel of judges. Winners will be announced at a Houses of Parliament event in November. For more information or to enter the awards visit www.abbvie.co.uk/sustainable-healthcare

• In 2017, the following projects were winners of a bursary to to spend on research to grow their own experiences and share best practice that will benefit patients and the NHS:
• The Salford Royal/ University of Manchester team for their work in the Manchester’s Rheumatoid Arthritis monitoring study coordinated by the National Institute of Health Research
• The National Ankylosing Spondylitis Society (NASS) for the setup of a cost effective, volunteer-led service that provides physical and mental health needs to patients with Ankylosing Spondylitis
• Theresa Richards, Macmillan Lead End of Life Care Plan Facilitator and Bevan Commission Innovation Exemplar from Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board in North Wales for the team’s work in facilitating the setup of an exceptional palliative and end of life education programme in local care homes in Wales
• The Western and Northern Health & Social Care Trusts for their joint work on their ‘Medicines Optimisation in Older People’ programme

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Notes to editors

About the awards

AbbVie launched The Big Ideas for Better Health Awards in 2015 as a way to recognise, celebrate and share exceptional examples of improvements and innovation that demonstrate clear benefit to the lives of patients. An independent panel of judges will be looking for outstanding examples of innovative projects in one of the following three categories:

• Delivering care closer to home – this award focuses on programmes that enable patients to access the services they need within their community
• Supporting self-management and self-care - this category recognises and celebrates the very best example of projects that put patients at the centre of their health and wellbeing and facilitate greater control
• Driving prevention and early intervention - this is awarded to intiatives focused on preventing or the early treatment or management of conditions

The awards are designed for people who are responsible for developing and running initiatives relevant to one of the categories within the NHS in England. Healthcare professionals, healthcare organisations and patient groups were invited to enter.

To ensure rigour and balance an independent multi-disciplinary judging panel was assembled to judge the categories. 3 winners will receive a £3000 bursary to continue their project. 

UK Media Contacts:

Matthew Worrall

Senior Corporate Communications Manager

M: +44 (0)7464 652 626

E: matthew.worrall@abbvie.com

Job bag number: AXABV180634

Date of prep: May 2018