Scottish Health Innovations Ltd
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 Dr Abenyega, a doctor working in Accident and Emergency at Crosshouse Hospital in Kilmarnock contacted SHIL to help him develop a basic idea that would help address the issue of nose bleeds in A&E units. Why are nose bleeds a problem? Nose bleeds (Epistaxis) traditionally affect a particular section of the population; children between 9 – 11 and older people. In both groups, a nosebleed can be an inconvenience but also quite alarming. Many patients who present at A&E with a severe nose bleed require no treatment other than help to stop the bleeding. How is it treated? One way to staunch a nose bleed is to apply even pressure across the bridge of the nose for a period of time. As young patients and older patients may not be able to apply the necessary pressure for the required amount of time a member of staff may have to physically hold the patient’s nose. Pressure may have to be applied for a lengthy period, making this a time consuming activity in a busy A&E unit where staff could be potentially dealing with more urgent admissions. The innovation Dr Abenyega identified that there would be benefits to producing a device that would apply pressure to the bridge of the nose that would remove the need for the member of staff to be constantly administering the pressure. How did SHIL help? SHIL worked with Dr Abenyega to develop a prototype to test his theory. When he came to SHIL he had an idea of what the product needed to do, however, he was still in the very early stages of development 1. Establishing the Market and the Clinical Demand SHIL assessed the concept and confirmed that there was a clinical need for such a product. Data was collated to justify the potential market size and research was carried out to identify any potential competitors. Based on the market research SHIL opted to move forward with the development of the product. 2. Selecting development partners SHIL then identified a local design company that could design and manufacture prototypes. The company worked closely with SHIL and Dr Abenyega refining the design the device met the clinical need. Prototypes were manufactured to allow clinical testing to be carried out. 3. Protecting the idea In order to protect the idea SHIL filed for registered design rights on behalf of NHS Ayrshire and Arran. As Dr Abenyega was an NHS Ayrshire employee, any IP developed in the course of his work duties belonged to his employers. However a share of any revenue generated does go back to the inventor (see IP section for further information.) 4. Manufacturing SHIL identified a company based in the UK with manufacturing and distribution capabilities. After seeing the innovation, the company, MDTi were very keen to become involved. SHIL negotiated a license with the company to take the product to market. 5. Product launch In April 2008 the product was launched at Crosshouse Hospital in Kilmarnock. The final product is available for NHS departments to buy and is available for consumers directly through pharmacies.  
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