The Wolfson Prize fund 2021, in partnership with Policy Exchange, has launched today, and has opened with the question: “How would you design and plan new hospitals to radically improve patient experiences, clinical outcomes, staff wellbeing, and integration with wider health and social care?”
The Wolfson Economics prize was established in 2011 and the winners of the project are given £250,000 to expand on their initial idea. The deadline to enter is June 18, finalists are announced in July and the winners will be revealed at an awards ceremony in November.
Entrants are asked to keep 4 key components in mind: patient experience, clinical outcomes, staff wellbeing and productivity, and connection to health and social care infrastructure.
Topics to explore in a 10,000-word entry that can contain charts maps and diagrams include how can room design be improved to reduce the stress of a patient, and how can you design a greener hospital.
After the first entries are finalised down to five, the remaining entrants are asked to expand the idea once more and are tasked with discussing how they can apply their idea to the real world. Each finalist is guaranteed £10,000 to explore their project further, even if they do not win.
Judges of the contest include Rt. Hon. Professor the Lord Kakkar PC, Dr. Brian Donley, Dame Elaine Inglesby-Burke CBE.
Entries are welcome from around the world but must apply their project to the NHS in the United Kingdom.
Rt. Hon. Professor the Lord Kakkar PC says “All the project needs to be is ambitious, impactful, compelling and deliverable”
Lord Wolfson said announcing the prize, “This Prize wants to draw on innovation from around the world, to help create hospitals that work better for patients, their staff, and the communities they serve.”
Entrants are also encouraged to think radically about how hospitals operate and how they benefit the end-user.
In addition to the launch of the prize this week, there will be a panel discussion titled “Designing the hospital of the future” which will be held virtually on Tuesday 23rd March and members of the judging panel will attend and hold a Q&A session.
