Team that helps diagnose patients at Milton Keynes Hospital is shortlisted for national healthcare award

MK Hospital who have a truly testing job have been shortlisted finalists for a prestigious healthcare award.

The Point of Care Testing (POCT) team is responsible for testing all samples that are used in clinics, acute settings and wards - including rapid diagnostic test results.

They have been shortlisted for the Synnovis Award for Innovation in Healthcare Science at the Advancing Healthcare Awards 2023.

These awards recognise and celebrate exceptional practice and innovation which is being led by Allied Health Professionals, healthcare scientists and colleagues in supporting roles across the country.

The judges were impressed with the hospital’s POCT discovery project, which was initiated to work collaboratively across primary and secondary care in MK. The aim is to deliver effective, measurable benefits for safer patient care and a governance led service, aligned to national NHS strategy plans – all with the objective of putting the patient at the heart of the system.

Rakhee Surti, Point of Care Project Manager at Milton Keynes University Hospital, said: “To be recognised as part of the Advancing Healthcare Awards is something we are incredibly proud of as a team.

"Every day we strive to deliver a better service for our teams and ultimately our patients and this pilot was an opportunity to work closer together with our partners across the local healthcare system to achieve greater efficiencies.

"I am excited to build upon the success of the trial to continue to evolve the service we deliver.”

The project involved working with a range of partners and regulators including the Institute of Biomedical science, Pathology in Practice and POCT Innovators.