Do you have an idea that could help transform patient care?

Royal Surrey Charity is working in partnership with the Transformation Team and University of Surrey to fund innovative projects that will (or have potential to) make a positive difference to our patients.

Our Bid for Better competition is open to all Royal Surrey staff. Applications can be submitted between Monday 17 April and Friday 12 May.

About Bid for Better

Background

In 2022 Bid for Better helped fund 13 innovative ideas that all have potential to offer significant benefits to Royal Surrey patients. You can find out more about three of the successful ideas below:

• A toolkit to provide better psychological support for cancer patients and their families
• 3D printer to help radiation therapy better target cancers
• Diet and cancer information videos

What funding is on offer?

You can bid for grants of:

• Up to £5,000
• Between £5,000 and £30,000

Collaborative Royal Surrey/University of Surrey projects may also bid for additional funding from the University of Surrey. 

What can I bid for?

Bids can focus on anything that would transform your work and support service improvements that help us deliver the best patient care - from buying new technology or equipment to carrying out research or running a pilot scheme.

Perhaps your idea could improve the experience of patients, cut waiting times, save money or improve the health of our local community. Big or small, your idea could make a huge impact on the care we provide. 

Who can apply?

• All staff who work at Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust can apply.
• For project applications that involve a University of Surrey partner, University of Surrey staff can also make the application, but all applications must have a Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust sponsor.

How do I apply?

Take a look at our Bid for Better - Information Pack 2023 to help you get started.

Stage 1 Applications can be submitted between Monday 17 April and Friday 12 May. 

Applicants will need to either:

Complete the Bid for Better- Stage 1 Application Form word document

or

Submit a Video Entry. Video Entries must cover all the information requested in the Bid for Better- Stage 1 Application Form. Further information on submitting Video Entries can be found in the Bid for Better - Information Pack 2023.

All applications, via word document or Video Entry, must be submitted to [email protected] by Friday 12th May. Unfortunately any late applicants will not be considered.

Need help with your application?

A short FAQ has been included below and the Transformation Team are on hand to answer any questions you have. You can get in touch with them by emailing [email protected].

FAQs

1. My idea is really small, shall I still bother applying?

Yes! Please do – some of the projects only received around £2000 in the first year, but are on track to deliver great benefits to patients

2. I’ve never delivered a project before, will any help be available?

Yes! We will support you with completing your application form and thinking through how you may deliver the project. We can also support you to go through our Quality Improvement practitioner course that covers how to lead a pieces of improvement work.

3. Can I use this money to hire staff?

Yes, the money may be used to hire staff who would deliver the idea, but not to hire staff to support of an existing service. You will be able to fund backfill for staff’s time to deliver the project however.

Bear in mind that the timeline for onboarding staff is something to consider.

4. Do I need my line manager to sign off my idea?

No senior sign off is required for stage 1, but you do need to have someone who will sponsor your idea. This is because the judging panel need to know that the idea is something that you will be supported to deliver by your leadership team. If they are unwilling to free you up to deliver it, then it won’t be possible to deliver, even if you have the funding.