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HEE is celebrating the go-head for commercial production of a pelvic cushion, the Danrik Wedge, designed to take the trauma out of cervical smear tests for women.
The idea, which came from Cromer Nurse Practitioner Lynne Phillippo, won an award in the inaugural HEE Innovation Competition held in 2005.
The wedge, which is uniquely designed to tilt the pelvis making it both easier and quicker for health professionals to carry out procedures and reducing discomfort for the patient, will be made available to GP surgeries, family planning clinics and hospitals throughout the UK from today. It is being manufactured by Charnwood Healthcare Ltd, based in Dorset, an established supplier of medical and surgical instruments and equipment.
Lynne, who works at Cromer Group Practice in Norfolk and has over 30 years nursing experience, won a £500 NHS Innovation Award to help develop her device.
She says: "I have always felt that cervical smears which we carry out every four years for women aged 25-65 to check for cancerous cells can be difficult for both patient and practitioner. It can seem intrusive and embarrassing and may be the reason why some women don't attend for cervical screening. I wanted to see if we could make the procedure more comfortable for women using the dense foam wedge I devised, it tilts the pelvis so that the speculum can be used properly and quickly with much less discomfort. The wedge can also be used for other pelvic procedures".
Anne Blackwood, Senior Innovation Manager at Health Enterprise East said: "This product is a winner and we are delighted that we have found a commercial partner who will make it widely available to patients all over the UK. It is a perfect example of a simple but effective idea that really improves the patient experience, devised by someone like Lynne who understands the problems and what can help."
Bob McLintic, Managing Director of Charnwood Healthcare said: "We are delighted to have been awarded the contract to take this novel cushion into commercial production. Anything that encourages women to come forward and have this screening for early cancer detection will help reduce the number of serious cases."
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