NIAS Maternity & Paediatric Bag Wins Overall Award at Advancing Healthcare Awards Northern Ireland 2025

We are incredibly proud to announce that the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS) were named Overall Winner at the Advancing Healthcare Awards Northern Ireland 2025 for their project:

“Narrowing the Search – Maternity and Paediatric Equipment within NIAS.”

At the centre of this award-winning initiative was the development and rollout of the NIAS Maternity & Paediatric Response Bag - the first combined bag of its kind implemented by a UK ambulance service.

From Research Concept to Award-Winning Implementation

The journey began when NIAS clinicians identified barriers in caring for maternity and paediatric patients. Equipment layout, accessibility and cognitive load during high-stress, low-frequency emergencies were key challenges.

Through a collaborative, clinician-led process involving frontline paramedics, paediatric emergency department specialists and service leaders, a new model was developed.

CorrMed initially supplied prototype bags to support field trials as part of Orla Morrow’s master’s research. Following extensive user feedback, comparison with other UK ambulance services and overwhelmingly positive trial outcomes, the decision was made to incorporate maternity equipment alongside paediatric equipment within a single response bag.

NIAS subsequently placed an order for 300 bags, rolling them out across the entire service.

Recognised for Measurable Impact

The judges at the Advancing Healthcare Awards highlighted:

• Increased clinician confidence

• Improved preparedness and cognitive knowledge

• More efficient patient care

• Strong stakeholder communication

• A scalable and cost-effective model

  
  

Clinician feedback described the bag as:

“Fantastic and very beneficial.”“Invaluable in enhancing skills and abilities.”

The project was selected not only as category winner, but as the Overall Winner of the 2025 awards — a significant recognition of both innovation and real-world impact.

Designed for Real-World Emergency Care

Key features of the NIAS Maternity & Paediatric Bag include:

• Intuitive left-to-right ABC layout

• Size-ordered and colour-coded organisation

• Combined maternity and paediatric equipment

• Wipe-clean infection control design, including straps

• High-visibility exterior to reduce risk of being left on scene

  
  
  
  

This award demonstrates what can be achieved when innovation is clinician-led, research-informed and operationally tested.

Now Available

The NIAS Maternity & Paediatric Bag specification is now available for purchase to any organisations seeking to improve maternity, neonatal and paediatric emergency response.

With stock held in our warehouse, this is no longer a concept — it is a proven, award-winning model.

To discuss how this solution could work within your service, contact our team today.