Ten outstanding teams and individuals from across the East of England have been named as regional champions at the NHS Excellence Awards, recognising exceptional work to improve care and support NHS staff and communities.

The champions were selected from over 200 entries submitted by NHS organisations across the region.

They reflect the breadth of innovation taking place across the East of England — from harnessing artificial intelligence to cut waiting times, to delivering cancer treatment in patients’ own homes, to supporting young people in mental health crisis.

The awards, which are linked to the ambitions of the NHS 10 Year Health Plan, recognise outstanding practice across ten categories.

The East of England’s regional champions will now progress to the national finals, with winners announced at NHS ConfedExpo in June.

Clare Panniker, regional director for the NHS in the East of England, said:

“These champions represent the very best of the NHS in the East of England.

“From pioneering digital solutions to providing vital support for young people and carers, these projects show a deep commitment to improving patient outcomes and looking after our incredible workforce.

“A key purpose of the NHS Excellence Awards is to highlight best practice and encourage other NHS organisations to adopt these approaches in their own work.

“I hope these champions inspire teams right across the region.

“I wish all our regional champions the very best in the national finals in June.”

 

Regional Winners

Digital Innovation:  Digital health team’s digital first transformation – East Coast Community Healthcare

East Coast Community Healthcare has embedded digital technology across its services, giving patients in one of England’s most deprived areas faster and easier access to care. Its musculoskeletal physiotherapy service now allows patients to self-refer and book appointments via app, with 81% of referrals coming through digital channels by January 2026, up from 39% in March 2024.

Missed appointment rates have fallen from 13% to 7.8%, and patients are triaged within 24–48 hours and issued with exercises to begin rehabilitation straight away. The digital model — which also includes ambient voice technology, mobile patient records, remote monitoring and electronic prescribing — is now being rolled out across other ECCH services including diabetes and neurology.

Delivering Value:  Pre-hospital stroke video triage – Integrated stroke delivery networks, NHS England East of England

The Pre-hospital Stroke Video Triage pathway connects ambulance crews with hospital stroke specialists via video call, ensuring patients are directed to the most appropriate facility before they arrive.

Now live at 12 of the region’s 15 stroke centres, the pathway has improved care for over 5,000 patients, cutting average arrival-to-imaging times from 28 minutes to just 3 minutes at the fastest site and reducing door-to-needle time by up to 21 minutes. Up to 41% of patients assessed via the pathway avoid an unnecessary trip to the emergency department altogether, saving an estimated 300 hours per year for stroke teams.

Improving Health Outcomes: Youth workers in hospital – Essex ICB

Funded by Essex ICB and delivered in partnership with Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust and Essex County Council, this project places trained youth workers in hospital A&E departments and outpatient clinics to support young people arriving in acute emotional distress or struggling to manage long-term conditions.

Working alongside clinical teams, youth workers provide trauma-informed support at critical moments, building trust and connecting young people with longer-term community-based help. An independent evaluation found a 40% reduction in A&E presentations following youth work engagement, equating to 182 avoided attendances, 20 avoided emergency admissions and 35 avoided ambulance conveyances.

Having started as a pilot at a single site, the service now operates across all three hospital sites in Mid and South Essex.

Leadership: Dr Elizabeth Kendrick – Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust

Dr Elizabeth Kendrick pioneered Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust’s Hospital at Home service, now a national exemplar supporting 22,000 patients annually, and secured £500,000 for a proactive care model that identifies high-risk patients nine days before potential admission.

Her clinical leadership has delivered a 26% reduction in heart failure admissions, while her equality work — including a reasonable adjustment flag used over 3,500 times — has embedded equity at the heart of the Trust’s culture.

Neighbourhood health:  Revolutionising oncology care – East and North Hertfordshire Teaching NHS Trust

East and North Hertfordshire Teaching NHS Trust’s Care Closer to Home model enables cancer patients to self-administer subcutaneous therapy at home rather than travelling to hospital.

Since 2022, the programme has delivered 2,520 injections across 196 patients with zero serious safety incidents, freeing 2,520 hours of hospital chair time and saving the NHS £430,000. Patient satisfaction is high, with 92.5% reporting benefit from reduced hospital visits and 93% confident in self-managing their treatment.

Patient involvement and choice: Carer Experience Service – East and North Hertfordshire Teaching NHS Trust 

East and North Hertfordshire Teaching NHS Trust’s Carer Experience Service has embedded unpaid carers as active partners in hospital care since April 2023, deploying trained volunteers across five roles — from practical support and advocacy to community engagement.

Underpinned by co-production and lived experience, the service has delivered over 3,140 volunteer hours and supported 1,911 families, with carers reporting feeling more informed, supported, and less isolated. The service’s Carers Passport and hospital lanyards make carers visible in care decisions, and the model is already being adopted by NHS trusts across the country.

Quality improvement: Using ambient voice technology – Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust (Milton Keynes based service)

Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust’s Milton Keynes community paediatrics team introduced AI-powered ambient voice technology to their ASD diagnostic pathway, using quality improvement methodology to develop bespoke templates for each assessment type.

Report-writing times fell dramatically — ADOS assessments from over four hours to under two, and initial health assessments from two and a half hours to just 33 minutes — freeing clinicians to focus on patients rather than admin. The approach has since been adopted by paediatric teams across London and is inspiring further roll-out across Milton Keynes community services.

Sustainable healthcare: The green plan – Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust

Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust’s Green Plan has delivered £1.6 million in savings over three years through reduced gas, electricity, and water consumption across 150 sites.

Solar panels at three sites have saved over 330,000 kg of CO2, LED lighting upgrades have saved £186,000, and asset reuse and recycling programmes have diverted nearly 47,000 kg of waste from landfill.

The Trust’s electric and hybrid vehicle fleet has grown from three vehicles in 2019 to over 100, and a second Green Plan is now in development targeting heat decarbonisation, renewable energy expansion, and biodiversity improvements.

Valuing our people:  AHP lead supporting a healthier workforce – Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHs Foundation Trust

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust’s AHP-led wellbeing service provides integrated, preventative support to staff across more than 50 sites, covering musculoskeletal health, mental health, menopause, neurodiversity, and reasonable adjustments.

In 2025, the service handled 570 referrals, with 65% of respondents reporting it enabled them to remain in work and 48% saying it prevented a period of sickness absence. The Mindfulness for Life programme achieved a 91% reduction in stress, and 83% of staff reported sustained wellbeing improvements one year later.

A streamlined Reasonable Adjustment Hub and NHS Charities Together-funded menopause support are among the initiatives now being developed for wider system adoption.

Working in partnership:  Supporting a peaceful death at home – Hospice of St Francis/West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals

A collaboration between the Hospice of St Francis and West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals Trust has enabled patients with end-stage interstitial lung disease (ILD) to die peacefully at home through the provision of heated humidified high flow nasal oxygen (HHFNO).

Previously, profound breathlessness and hypoxia meant patients were routinely admitted to hospital despite having advance care plans expressing a wish to remain at home. The cross-organisational HHOT team — combining respiratory, palliative care, and community services — supports patients to use the therapy at home indefinitely, with round-the-clock palliative care cover preventing crisis admissions.

Hospital ILD deaths have fallen year on year (56 in 2023, 46 in 2024, 39 in 2025) despite rising referrals, and the model is attracting national and international interest ahead of planned conference presentations and publication.