Patient safety first for awards event celebrating the finest medical achievements of the year

An early warning system which will save children's lives on hospital wards has been chosen as the winner of the first patient safety award

at an event celebrating groundbreaking research and pioneering healthcare projects over the last 12 months.

This week the BUPA Foundation celebrated medical innovation and breakthrough work when it held its annual awards ceremony at Lincoln's Inn, London.

The BUPA Foundation is an independent charitable organisation that funds medical research and since 1979 it has awarded grants in excess of £21 million to medical research and healthcare initiatives across a broad range of disciplines, from surgery to occupational health.

The BUPA Foundation Awards are made each year to recognise excellence in medical research and healthcare.

The six category winners for 2007 are: For recognising the benefits of readily available drugs for stroke patients which will save lives the BUPA Foundation Research Award has been handed to Dr Ming-Yuan Tseng.

The BUPA Foundation Epidemiology Award went to a study that proved a promising link between BCG vaccination and a reduction in the incidence of childhood Asthma.

This year the BUPA Foundation Communication Award has been awarded to a project that has dramatically reduced medication errors by introducing a simple patient-held booklet.

The BUPA Foundation Patient Safety Award has this year been presented to a multi-disciplinary team in a children's hospital which has piloted an observation tool to prevent admissions to specialist care from the wards by identifying deterioration early.

The BUPA Foundation Clinical Excellence Award has been given to an early intervention service which has helped over 80 percent of the young people they see back into work or education after their first experience of a psychotic illness.

Lesley Munro of Macmillan Cancer Support has won the BUPA Foundation Health at Work Award for an innovative project to produce a workplace DVD and booklet to help employers and employees deal with the difficult issues of coping with cancer in the workplace.

The vice chairman of the BUPA Foundation, Dr Andrew Vallance-Owen, said: "The BUPA Foundation aims to support projects which will deliver long term benefits for patients and we are pleased to recognise so many NHS organisations, universities and charities in their work at the sharp end of medical research and healthcare.".

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