The Swedish company Giraff Technologies and the EU AAL ExCITE-project received top honors at the annual AAL Forum, being named the "most promising" innovation of the year out of nearly 100 products and projects. The three criteria for the award were innovation, potential to improve the quality of life for older adults and market potential.

Healthcare IT advisor and integrator Simpl creates a software application development testing framework for Informing Healthcare, the NHS technology programme in Wales. Now in use by a six-strong team, the testing framework refines and improves Informing Healthcare's previous application testing procedures and defines a consistent approach to in-house application testing across the organisation.

Telemedical ECG testing in GP surgeries could cut hundreds of thousands of unnecessary emergency hospital admissions, A&E attendances and referrals to outpatient clinics, saving the NHS over £120 million each year, according to leading cardiac telemedical service provider Broomwell Healthwatch.

The European medical technology industry association Eucomed launched its 5 year industry strategy report 'Contract for a Healthy Future' in which the association outlines the role industry must play in steering healthcare systems onto a sustainable path.

FairWarning Inc - the inventor and world's leading supplier of cross-platform healthcare privacy auditing solutions for electronic health records (EHRs) - released the findings of a major survey which reveals overwhelming demand for patients' medical records to be guaranteed against data theft and snooping.

An imaginative project to tackle health inequalities has won the IMS MAXIMS sponsored category for the best use of social media at the EHI Awards 2011. NHS Sefton, on Merseyside, is pioneering the use of digital TV and web-enabled mobiles to give the easiest, and broadest possible access to health information and services.

Northern Ireland Health and Social Care (HSC) has procured a pan-Northern Ireland Pharmacy Software Solution for the Business Services Organisation (BSO) Information and Technology Service (ITS). The contract has been awarded to JAC Computer Services Limited (JAC), under a Technology Partnership Agreement that BSO has with HP.