Paul Watson, who has been honoured for his invention to help asthma sufferers.

A school nurse from West Norfolk has received a prestigious award for a new invention.

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Paul Watson, a school nurse from the Norfolk Community Health and Care NHS Trust (NCH&C), received the Alumni Success in Business Award from Anglia Ruskin University.

He has been awarded the honour after bringing together his passion as an inventor and his nursing expertise to create a new type of pocket-sized “spacer”, a piece of equipment used by people with asthma.

His invention could make it easier for patients across the country to efficiently use their asthma medication.

Inspired by his daughter who has asthma, Paul developed a prototype for a more compact and reshaped spacer. With help from Health Enterprise East, the region’s NHS innovation hub, Paul’s new design – the Pocketflow Compact Spacer – is now being produced commercially by Vivo Smart Medical Devices.

Paul said: “I am honoured to have received this award and very proud that my work could potentially help people right across the country.

“I think we should always look for new or improved ways of working to benefit patients and I’m very pleased that this idea could have such a positive impact on so many people’s lives.”

Paul received his award at a graduation ceremony at the Corn Exchange in Cambridge.