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2022 Categories and Criteria

The NHS Parliamentary Awards are designed to celebrate the work of all NHS staff and those who work alongside them to improve and join up care in their communities.

We are looking for outstanding nominees who have innovated, impressed, and made a real difference to how the health and care system provides care for patients. Nominees could be an individual, a team, or an entire organisation.

Nominees don’t have to be working within the NHS – these awards are for anyone working for or with the NHS towards the shared goal of delivering health and high-quality care, now and for future generations. Neither do they have to be in frontline or clinical roles. Around 60% of the NHS workforce perform vital but often-unseen roles, ensuring that the NHS is equipped to meet the needs of patients. Many more people support patients in other ways, such as via their local Healthwatch, social enterprises or charities.

Nominations open on Wednesday 2nd March 2022 and closes at midnight, Wednesday 6th April 2022.

The Excellence in Healthcare Award

The top causes of early death for the people of England are - heart disease and stroke, cancer, respiratory conditions, dementia, and self-harm. This award recognises individuals or teams who go above and beyond to improve outcomes and experiences for patients living with and beyond these major health conditions or work to prevent them.

This could be through:

establishing a new process to identify and prevent major conditions earlier;
developing effective ways to share and spread awareness of a major health condition;
working with patients and their families to support people to stay well and recover in their own homes, with the right support in place in their communities.

The Excellence in Mental Health Care Award

To the individual or team that has worked across organisational boundaries to develop new and effective services to help people living with mental health problems in their community.

This could be through:

developing new and effective kinds of services for those experiencing or at risk of crisis;
working with local partners to put in place effective prevention strategies that promote better mental health;
working with their communities to address stigma and help design services for those who are hardest to reach, reducing health inequalities;
engaging effectively with young people who have needed mental health support during the pandemic.

The Excellence in Urgent and Emergency Care Award

To the individual or team that has made improvements to how the NHS treats people in life or death situations.

This award seeks to celebrate the amazing work of our emergency care services across the country whether that’s A&E doctors and nurses, Ambulance Service paramedics and technicians, out-of-hours GPs or the 999 and 111 teams who take calls from worried members of the public. We are looking specifically for nominees who have made improvements to how the NHS treats people who need urgent care in their areas.

This could be through:

developing new protocols, including working with other agencies and/or volunteers to improve response times or increase capacity in A&E;
increasing the effectiveness of care;
putting in place different services which are more convenient for people needing urgent treatment.

The Excellence in Primary Care and Community Care Award

Primary care services are the ‘front door’ of the NHS and are often our first port of call when experiencing symptoms. Primary care practitioners are GPs, community pharmacists, dentists, optometrists, community midwives and health visitors, family planning or sexual health clinic staff. Equally, community care services are pivotal in supporting people to stay well and independent at home, preventing unnecessary admissions to hospitals, delivery better healthcare, ensuring that people can return home safely after being in hospital.

As the needs of patients and the wider NHS evolves, so does the role of these professionals, and this award seeks to recognise practitioners and their teams in primary or community care that are working with patients to help them stay healthy and avoid long stays in hospital or being admitted in the first place.

This could be through:

bringing in different kinds of professionals and/or working with voluntary groups to broaden the range of services in their local practice or area;
working closely with colleagues in hospitals and the third sector to plan patient care better;
joining together with other practises to jointly deliver more convenient appointments for patients;
delivering enhanced health in care homes to ensure residents have the same level of support as if they were living in their own home.

The Future NHS Award

To a person or team that has successfully trialled and embedded change to make better use of data and digital technology, provide more convenient access to services and information for patients and improve support for staff.

This award seeks to highlight individuals, teams and organisations that are successfully embracing the opportunities that come from advances in medical technology, data, and connectivity.

This could be through:

developing ways of using wearable devices and apps to monitor patients or support them to manage their own conditions;
harnessing technology to make their services more connected, efficient and effective, freeing up staff time and resources to improve patient care;
using data to provide analysis and evidence which helps professionals better target services to prevent ill health or the need for crisis care.

The Health Equalities Award

The disproportionate impact that COVID-19 is having on our black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) patients, friends, and colleagues has brought into stark and urgent focus the layered impacts of years of disadvantage and inequality. Health inequalities also impact may other people, including LGBT+ communities, women and people with disabilities amongst others. We know there is more we can do to prevent or delay ill health and treat people quicker.

This award is for an individual or organisation that helps the NHS to do its bit by bringing together different groups and organisations to reduce health inequalities and prevent ill health in their community.

This could be through:

developing new services for groups that traditionally struggle to access the NHS;
working with partners to plan services across an area to improve the health and wellbeing of those who suffer poorer outcomes – rather than picking up the pieces afterwards;
finding new ways to identify and tackle unwarranted variation;
using data to reduce health inequalities.

The Nursing and Midwifery Award

We see the best of the NHS when its professionals are putting patients at the heart of care, engaging with patients and families, listening to their views, and ensuring people are treated with care and compassion.

This award is for any nurse or midwife who has used their skills to ensure that patients experience care and compassion. This award is also open to any one of the thousands of student midwives and nurses who started their careers early to support the NHS’ response to coronavirus.

This could be through:

providing excellent clinical care to patients;
changing how healthcare staff communicate with patients and their families;
driving improvements to hospital environments, or maternity wards, to make them more pleasant places for patients and their loved ones;
identifying ways that trusts can address health inequalities in maternity care to ensure better outcomes for patients;
ensuring that patients and their families are well-informed and empowered to play an active role in deciding what type of care they receive;
guiding patients and families through important conversations around vaccination and improving access for pregnant women to get the COVID jab.

The COVID Response Award

The pandemic has created unprecedented health challenges, especially for the most vulnerable among us. Our health and social care professionals have risen to the task time and time again. Staff and volunteers have shown their flexibility and innovative approach to getting the best for patients throughout the pandemic.

The brand new Covid Response Award is for any individual or team who have met the challenges of the pandemic with creativity and innovation to provide the best care possible for their patients.

This could be through:

designing new approaches to enhance infection control;
identifying creative ways to provide personalised, effective care to patients despite the limitations of COVID restrictions;
introducing new methods to support patients requiring treatment for conditions other than COVID;
supporting the vaccine rollout to ensure all communities are supported to get the vaccine.

The NHS Rising Star Award

This award looks to celebrate younger members of staff, volunteers or members of the public who give up their time, lend their experiences and deliver better services for themselves and others in their area.

We are looking for young members of staff (under 30 years old) or members of local groups, such as local Healthwatches, Maternity Voices Partnerships or lay/patient representatives on NHS boards, who have worked hand in hand with local services to ensure they better meet the needs of those they serve. This award is also open to any one of the thousands of student midwives, nurses and medical students who started their careers early to support the NHS’ response to coronavirus.

This could be through:

providing critical but constructive feedback on performance;
donating their time and expertise to the NHS;
augmenting the NHS’ ability to reach out to different communities;
fundraising for new or improved facilities or treatment options.

The Lifetime Achievement Award

For an individual who has worked within a health or care setting for 40 years or more who has left a legacy.

This award seeks to honour those who have given their life to the NHS and have left it – whether just in their area or nationally – a better service for patients and/or a better place to work for those who will follow them. We are looking for someone who has worked or volunteered within or in support of a health or care setting for 40 years or more, and who has left a lasting legacy. This award is also open to any of the thousands former NHS workers across the country who have come out of retirement to tackle the coronavirus outbreak.

This could be through:

championing diversity and inclusion at work in how the NHS treats patients;
leading improvements in care or working conditions in challenging circumstances;
simply bringing a smile to patients’ faces day in, day out.

Categories | NHS Parliamentary Awards

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