We are thrilled to announce the winner of the HETT Unexpected Innovation Award, Individual Award.

Many congratulations to Tremaine Richard-Noel, Head of Emerging Technology, Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust. Richard-Noel is leading the advancement of technology adoption across the NHS, helping maximise productivity and efficiencies nationwide. 

A nominee of Forbes 2021 30 under 30 for science and healthcare, Richard-Noel has been nominated for his initiative, hard work and passion. He is a pivotal figure in the digital transformation of the NHS and has proven not even a crisis can stop innovation from occurring. 

His work speaks for itself — extending beyond efficiency gains. For example, he has been a spokesperson for the NHS for several years, previously serving as the Shadow Non-Exec Director and Deputy Lead Governor in acute and mental health trusts.

Richard-Noel’s notable work has included his Robotic Process Automation (RPA) programme, the NGH Automation Accelerator. The NHS has always suffered from understaffing, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and has introduced more mundane tasks, such as admin and data input.

Richard-Noel secured funding to begin his programme after developing a digital automation process for 24/7 oxygen monitoring during the COVID-19 pandemic. The programme leverages available networks, such as NHS bodies, vendors and the Academic Health Science Network (AHSN), to ensure the spread of innovation and support the 23 organisations Noel’s team is working with.   

In NHS Trusts, RPA helps free up valuable time for staff to focus on high-value activities while also speeding up minor tasks that can be automated to complete tasks with higher accuracy. Noel’s organisation is projected to repurpose 115,000 hours through automating processes, amounting to more than half a million over five years.

Richard-Noel’s work has helped improve morale, improve patient outcomes, encourage economies of scale, overcome recruitment challenges, increase capacity and lower costs.

Many congratulations to Richard-Noel for winning the Individual award, and to our incredible runners up. We were overwhelmed by the quantity and quality of submissions - you're all incredible and we couldn't be more proud to launch an award to celebrate you all.

• 'Tremaine Richard-Noel, Head of Emerging Technology, Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust
  

• Rajiv Sankaranarayanan, Consultant Cardiologist and Clinical Lead for Heath Failure, Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Liverpool CCG, South Sefton CCG
  

• Dominic Cushnan, Head of AI Imaging, NHSX