The Hartlepool health team's bid to become national champions this week

Left to right, ICT support technician Christophe Corso, ICT analyst Sarah Taylor, ICT second line technician Chris Lithgo, ICT support technician Michelle Qaid and ICT support manager Mark Collis.

North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust was shortlisted for two categories in the Health Tech Leaders Awards 2020.

The awards are being held virtually for the first time.

The organisation will be represented in the Supporting Healthcare Teams category for its CareScan+ programme and in Team Working at Pace for its response to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Trust also collected two awards at last year’s ceremony which is competed for by health trusts across the country.

Gillian Colquhoun, deputy chief information and technology officer, said: “We are honoured to have been shortlisted yet again for these prestigious awards.

“I am really proud of everyone involved for delivering such fantastic work over the last few months.

“Ever since pandemic outbreak first started, we worked at pace to set up a number of virtual ways we could work so that patient care remained at the same high quality.

“We also delivered a quick and effective tracking mechanism for ventilators used during the care of patients with coronavirus.

“These innovations have meant staff can continue to work in a safe environment and patients can still get the same level of care whether they are at home or in hospital.”

The new programmes have included video and phone appointments for patients, a new virtual system for staff to hold meetings and a track and trace system to provide front-line staff with the real-time location and condition of ventilators.

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