Innovation Impact Award
Innovation Impact Award
This award recognises colleagues – teams and individuals – who have implemented innovative and sustainable practices within their department or across the Trust. This could include reducing energy consumption, waste or carbon emissions, or the adoption of renewable energy sources. Here’s what their colleagues wrote about them in the nominations.
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AI Project Delivery Team
The AI Project Team is leading the way in digital innovation, setting a benchmark for others to follow.
With energy, focus, and determination, this trailblazing team successfully implemented Annalise.ai — a cutting-edge platform that analyses chest X-rays for over 120 potential abnormalities. Royal Surrey became one of the first trusts in the UK to embed this technology into routine clinical practice, and the only one to roll it out across both Emergency and Primary Care pathways.
The results are clear: quicker diagnoses, faster CT access for suspected lung cancer, fewer discrepancies, and a radiology workforce enhanced by AI. This success reflects a truly collaborative team whose expertise has shown how digital innovation can improve accuracy, reduce delays, and ultimately save lives.
Alex Smout, Nuclear Medicine Physics Manager
Alex is an exceptionally innovative Nuclear Medicine Clinical Scientist whose work has transformed patient care and staff safety.
From halving scan times to reducing radiation exposure and streamlining vital procedures, his creativity and dedication deliver wide-reaching impact.
Among his many projects, he single-handedly designed, hand-made, and tested an additional radiation shield, significantly reducing colleagues’ exposure. When improvements were needed to a local therapy spreadsheet, Alex saw an opportunity to add real value. He completely redesigned and validated the software, introducing robust automatic checks that greatly enhance accuracy, safety, and confidence in clinical use.
James Woodland, Consultant Healthcare Scientist
James is a pioneering Consultant Healthcare Scientist transforming histopathology services.
He is currently the only Consultant Healthcare Scientist in our region to complete the Royal College-accredited gastrointestinal histopathology reporting training. This is a prestigious achievement held by fewer than 35 professionals nationwide.
By taking on a role traditionally reserved for medically qualified pathologists, he speeds up diagnostic turnaround, enables timelier treatment, and improves patient outcomes.
His achievements also set a benchmark for workforce development, showing how targeted training can expand diagnostic capacity, enhance service efficiency and inspire innovation without compromising clinical standards.