A Rotherham-based healthcare and industrial manufacturing company has successfully signed up five new international distributors across Europe and South East Asia since their Queen’s Award win for the Marsden Patient Transfer Scale.
The presentation of the award was made to chief executive, Mark Holdaway, during a special visit to Marsden by Her Majesty’s Lord Lieutenant of South Yorkshire, Mr Andrew Coombe, who presented the company with the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in Innovation. The presentation was also attended by the Mayor and Mayoress of Rotherham as well as the local Chamber of Commerce.
Marsden earned the prestigious award, in recognition for the work undertaken to pioneer and develop the unique Patient Transfer Scale, which helps to ensure an accurate weight is taken prior to vital life-saving treatment for patients admitted to hospital.
Co-invented by nurse Gillian Taylor, Marsden worked with its partners including Scottish Health Innovations Limited and NHS Lanarkshire to develop Gillian’s original idea and successfully launched it in 2018. Today, the product can be found in more than 65% of all NHS Trusts across the UK and it is also sold worldwide.
The success of Marsden’s Patient Transfer Scale has coincided with a significant period of growth for the business and has also seen the company create a number of new roles within the business, including the appointment of a new Product and Commercial Director, who will be responsible for developing more new innovative products within the healthcare sector.
Following the success enjoyed with its Patient Transfer Scale, Marsden has also recently launched a new portable weighing scale, designed to help community-based nurses and health visitors take accurate weight measurements of wheelchair-bound patients.
Mark Holdaway, said: “Receiving the Queen’s Award for Enterprise from the Lord Lieutenant was, without doubt, the highlight of a very special year for Marsden, one which saw us celebrate our 95th anniversary.
“The success of the Patient Transfer Scale is the result of the observations of a nurse, who spotted an opportunity to solve a patient care problem. Working with our partners we were able to help her transform her initial idea into a highly effective product which helps thousands of healthcare workers across the world to obtain accurate weights for critically ill patients, enabling potentially life-saving medication to be administered. Gillian Taylor continues to work as a Clinical Consultant for Marsden to help engage and support UK and international customers.
“Since securing the Queen’s Award, we’ve not rested on our laurels. We have enjoyed a significant period of growth enabling us to invest in expanding internationally, bring new products to market, create new jobs and ultimately help healthcare professionals to deliver a better patient experience.”
Mr Andrew Coombe, Lord Lieutenant of South Yorkshire said: “The Queen’s Award for Enterprise was created to recognise the outstanding achievements of businesses across the UK and with a long history of innovation and the success Marsden has achieved with its Patient Transfer Scale, the award is well deserved.
“Marsden is a terrific example of the incredible work which is being undertaken by the manufacturing sector in South Yorkshire. The success they have enjoyed is helping to showcase the incredible work being undertaken by businesses across the region.”
