Through our annual Dragons' Den-style competition, we give staff at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust the opportunity to develop and pitch ideas that tackle challenges facing patients and services. By funding the most promising projects, we help turn brilliant ideas from NHS staff into practical solutions that make a real difference.
This year's successful projects will solve clinical challenges, improve patient experiences and design services that aim to speed up care and reduce hospital stays and preventable emergency admissions. Together, they showcase the creativity, expertise and passion of NHS staff working across the Trust.
Projects funded include; using point of care ultrasound in the Weston Park Assessment Unit to provide faster assessment of cancer complications and portable medical-grade ECG monitors to help frail older people receive faster diagnosis and treatment for heart rhythm conditions closer to home.
The Trust's catering team have introduced blue plates and crockery on Brearley 7, a ward that often cares for people living with dementia. The strong, contrasting colours easily capture the attention of patients with dementia and have been shown to stimulate their appetite, improving both their eating and nutritional intake.
The community nursing staff won funding to pilot the use of handheld toe pressure machines in patients’ homes and within community clinics. These devices help quickly identify poor blood flow in patients with swollen or larger legs, including those with lymphoedema. This means patients can start compression therapy sooner, improving their care, while also reducing demand on hospitals, making more appointments available for patients who need urgent specialist assessment.
Shasta Ashraf, Director of Grants for Sheffield Hospitals Charity said: “We’re proud to fund Dragons’ Den and hear about innovative projects that have the potential to transform patient care. By supporting NHS staff to test new ideas and technologies, we can help improve outcomes, enhance patient experience and make a real difference to people’s lives across Sheffield.”
Kirsten Major, Chief Executive for Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said: “Sheffield Teaching Hospitals has always been a place of innovation, with the Dragons’ Den Innovation Fund offering staff the opportunity to test and develop their ideas. All of us were incredibly impressed with the quality and quantity of this year’s applications, and we look forward to seeing the impact of their work. We are very grateful to Sheffield Hospitals Charity for making this possible.”
The winning projects were:
1. One Stop Breathless Clinic
2. Blue plates and crockery to help dementia patients on Brearley 7
3. Point of Care Ultrasound in the Weston Park Assessment Unit
4. Integration of ‘smart pumps’ with MetaVision to improve patient care
5. Creation of an enhanced care area on the acute medicine unit
6. AI dictation pilot to reduce administrative time associated with psychology assessment and treatment sessions
7. Point of care D-dimer testing in the Sheffield walk-in centre for the initial assessment of possible DVT patients
8. Introduction of a standardised post-radiotherapy vaginal health pathway
9. ICU rehab, survival is not enough!
10. A pilot of a novel physiotherapy service for spine patients in the emergency department
11. Automating cardiac MRI reporting using award-winning AI technology
12. Toe pressure devices for community nursing
13. Highly accurate portable ECGs for the proactive neighbourhood geriatrician project
Every donation helps us make projects like these possible. By funding ideas like these, we're helping NHS staff innovate, improve care and create better outcomes for patients and families across Sheffield.
Published: Tuesday 7th of July 2026