A nurse has won a national innovation award and £75,000 to support her work in improving care for older people.
Liz Blacklock, chief executive and co-founder of the Waltham Chase-based domiciliary care company Lapis Care, received the Women in Innovation Award from Innovate UK for CareBoodle, a tool designed to help care professionals detect delirium early in people over 65.
Delirium is a sudden and treatable change in mental state that is common among older adults with frailty or dementia.
Ms Blacklock, who has 38 years of experience in nursing across palliative, primary, and social care, said: "Delirium is far better recognised now than it was for most of my 38 years in nursing, and that's what makes this the moment.
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"Unmanaged delirium costs the NHS £10.8 billion a year, but up to 33 per cent of cases can be prevented if caught early.
"Catch it early and treat it, and people recover — they keep their quality of life and they stay at home.
"Miss the window and they deteriorate, which is worse for the person and adds pressure the NHS can't absorb.
"CareBoodle makes early detection something any care professional can do."
CareBoodle turns clinical expertise into a structured assessment any care professional can use, offering a clear pathway for escalation when delirium is suspected.
The tool was developed with registered nurse Stella Shaw and GP Dr Kirsten Protherough.
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The £75,000 grant will fund an independent evaluation led by the Association for Dementia Studies at the University of Worcester.
It will also support further development to make the tool easier to use and prepare it for wider rollout.
Emily Nott, head of inclusive innovation at Innovate UK, said: "Huge congratulations to everyone recognised in this year's Women in Innovation Awards.
"Reaching the 10th anniversary of the programme with record levels of engagement demonstrates the extraordinary talent, unstoppable ambition, and groundbreaking innovation being developed by women across the UK."
This year marks the largest-ever Women in Innovation cohort, with 1,590 applications and 61 winners.
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