Local people are invited to vote for projects that will improve the care of NHS patients.

Dorset HealthCare has re-opened its Dragons’ Den staff innovation competition, with £10,000 up for grabs to support proposals for the benefit of patients, carers and/or staff.

Some fantastic ideas were submitted by colleagues around the trust this autumn, spanning a host of community and mental health services, which have been shortlisted to a top ten.

Members of the public and fellow NHS staff are now being asked to pick their three favourites by Friday 14 January with the most popular going through to the Dragons’ Den final in February.

You can find a run-down of all the entries, and vote for the ones you like best, at www.dorsethealthcare.nhs.uk/dragons-den

As in the BBC show (only with a more friendly panel of ‘dragons’), the finalists will explain their plans in more detail and pitch for cash to make them a reality.

The last time Dorset HealthCare ran the competition, in 2019, almost 1,000 staff and members of the public voted in the poll, and a batch of excellent proposals won funding and project management support from the impressed panel of Dragons.

These included a scheme to provide local district nurses with eco-friendly electric bikes, helping them bypass traffic jams and promote healthy living while visiting patients, and the creation of a ‘survival kit’ to support vulnerable young people living alone for the first time.

The panel of dragons will be led, as usual, by trust chairman Andy Willis who said: “Once again, we’ve had some outstanding ideas put forward for this year’s den, and I’m sure people will find it difficult to choose.

“I would urge everyone to take a look at the shortlist and cast their vote. Previous years have proven that teams with innovative ideas really can make a difference to improving our services for local people.”