Queen Elizabeth Hospital King’s Lynn invented device – SAFIRA® – shortlisted for HSJ Patient Safety Award

A pioneering regional anaesthesia device, invented by clinicians at Queen Elizabeth Hospital Kings Lynn NHS Trust (QEH) and developed in conjunction with medical device company Medovate, has been shortlisted for ‘Patient Safety Innovation of the Year’ at this year’s HSJ Patient Safety Awards.

SAFIRA®: SAFer Injection for Regional Anaesthesia has been recognised for its outstanding contribution to healthcare, fighting off competition from hundreds of applicants.

SAFIRA® is an intuitive, revolutionary technology which improves patient safety during regional anaesthesia (RA) by automatically limiting injection pressure thereby reducing the risk of nerve injury in patients. It also puts control of injection fully in the hands of the anaesthetist making it a single operator procedure.

SAFIRA® was taken through the entire development pathway, from regulatory approval to market launch, by Cambridge based Medovate and is now available globally.

The pioneering device was selected based on its ambition, visionary spirit and the demonstrable positive impact it has on patient and staff experiences within the health care sector.

Doctor Frankie Swords, Medical Director at QEH, said: “I am thrilled that this exciting innovation, which has been developed by clinicians at QEH, has been shortlisted for a HSJ Patient Safety Award. At QEH we are passionate about research and innovation which is critical to improving patient care so I am delighted that we are leading the way on this.”

Speaking about being shortlisted, Stuart Thomson, Managing Director at Medovate said: “This is a great honour for everyone involved. There are approximately 20 million nerve blocks performed across Europe and the US per year and any nerve damage associated with these procedures can be potentially life changing for a patient.

“SAFIRA® provides an intuitive technology to help reduce the risk of nerve damage from injection at high pressure, improving care for patients whilst also saving both time and cost. It’s a truly ground-breaking innovation which was designed in conjunction with the NHS and is already improving patient safety across the globe.”

The full list of finalists for the 2021 HSJ Patient Safety Awards can be found on https://awards.patientsafetycongress.co.uk/2021-shortlist.

The judging panel is made up of a diverse range of highly influential and respected figures within the healthcare community, including Sue Smith OBE (Executive Chief Nurse and Deputy Chief Executive Officer, University Hospitals Morecambe Bay FT), Rachel Power (Chief Executive, The Patients Association), Dr Hester Wain (Head of Patient Safety Policy, NHS England and NHS Improvement).

Winners will be selected ahead of the ceremony, which will take place as part of the Patient Safety Congress and Awards in Manchester in September 2021.

More about the HSJ patient Safety Awards here.