1. People First: A partnership, team or individual that has worked to implement an innovative project to support workforce development. This could include a workforce initiative of any kind that has impact on workforce i.e. culture, leadership, recruitment, training and development, attrition or staff wellbeing. The proposal must demonstrate innovation with clear, measurable evidence of achieved outcomes.

2. Stronger Together: A new partnership or exiting partnership, between UHUK member organisation and another organisation that has developed an initiative that can demonstrate a benefit to service delivery, joined up systems and patient care. The member must be able to demonstrate that they were leaders for the programme or work or describe how they were instrumental in the partnership and outcome. The submission must provide clear evidence of how clear the aims objectives were set and include evidence to demonstrate how outcomes and results were achieved.

3. Equity in Healthcare: An innovative project or programme of work, led by the UHUK member organisation or delivered in partnership with another organisation that has identified that certain patient groups in the area not receiving equitable care. The project should demonstrate improvement in access, delivery or improved care to that patient cohort/s. The project should outline how the problem was identified and should demonstrate evidence of improved, measurable outcomes for the group/s identified.

4. Making a Difference: An initiative within the UHUK member organisation that demonstrates commitment to social impact and that demonstrates it is held in high value by the UHUK organisation. The submission should clearly articulate the social impact and benefit/outcome of the initiative with evidence of such, and results achieved.

5. Outstanding Engagement & Involvement: An initiative or project that can demonstrate the benefit of patient participation, involvement and engagement (PPIE) through a best practice or enhanced patient (PPIE) initiative. The submission must clearly demonstrate how this programme has gone over and above patient engagement expectations, a PPIE model that has been enhanced or has been introduced for a new service, pathway or other programme of work. The submission must include clear evidence of implementation of work and the positive outcomes achieved because of this PPIE initiative.

6. Innovation in Action: A project that demonstrates true innovation in its approach but where the focus is not technologically led. This could include innovation to improve patient care/pathways, make services more cost effective, improve teams, enable improved efficiencies in service delivery; data/business intelligence or improved communication to support patient care. The submission must include measurable evidence to support the outcomes achieved.

7. Digital Impact: A technical innovation that has been designed or co-designed and led by the organisation’s Tech team internally or in partnership with a single or multiple technical provider/s. This may include; system or organisational efficiencies; data or information; improved communication; improved patient care; improved patient pathways; enhanced service delivery; cost efficiencies; support teams to achieve better outcomes. The submission must include evidence to demonstrate the process and demonstrate measurable evidence of positive outcomes achieved.

8. Excellence in Operational Safety: Demonstrates a change in safety and/or quality systems that was driven by operational risk and operational service delivery. The change would have been justified by evidence that previous systems or process may not have been fully optimised or completely absent and shown to be ineffective by some form of initial audit/analysis. The submission must include measurable evidence to demonstrate the positive outcomes and reduction in operational risks achieved.

9. Clinical Safety Leadership: Demonstrates a change in patient safety and/or quality systems/risk management that delivered improvement clinically within the organisation. The change would have been justified by evidence that previous process or system may not have been optimal to patient care and carried patient quality and safety risks; the submission must show how this was identified through initial audit/analysis. The submission must include measurable evidence to demonstrate the positive outcomes and reduction in risks achieved.

• Use the category descriptions above to assist you to write your statement
• Only organisations who are members of UHUK qualify to enter
• There is no cost to any member to submit an award
• Members do not have to be present at the Award ceremony to receive their award, but it is encouraged where possible
• 90% of the initiative must be delivered and led by member’s organisation unless clear partnership arrangements can be described fully
• Work must be funded by member organisation; if funded jointly, by ICB, supplier or other grant this should be described in the submission
• Entries cannot be a re-submission of entries submitted in any previous years, unless there is clear evidence that there has been a significant change to the previous entry.
• Submission applications should be in line with CAR (Context Action Results) case study method. Using this framework against the criteria will illustrate the impact of your work and allow the judges to fully evaluate and score your submission.
• Supporting documentation must support “R” in CAR method and be focussed on proven outcome, benefits, or evaluation. The scores will be weighted and clear measurable outcome impact will be awarded 50% of the overall score.
• Project must be delivered or concluded during years 2025/2026
• Each member organisation can submit a maximum of 6 entries and a maximum of 2 different entries in any one award category. E.g. 2 entries into one category will leave you 4 entries to submit to other categories
• Members cannot submit the same entry into more than one category
• Each submission must identify the Executive Lead or Board sponsor and a named Lead for the work programme or initiative. Please ensure this is complete as failure to identify may reduce your overall score for the category.
• A maximum word count of 1000 will be required for each submission - excluding additional measurable evidence which can be added i.e. additional tables, graphics/survey results etc to demonstrate results and impact)
• For information and support on your entry - Please see helpful document written by NHS employers put together for NHS award entries: www.nhsemployers.org/publications/guide-writing-nhs-award-entries
• Using AI to help with your submission:
  • We know many of you are starting to use tools like ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini and Claude in your day-to-day work. AI can be a real time-saver and a useful way to get ideas down, especially when you're busy or if writing isn’t your usual focus.
  • You're welcome to use AI to help shape your submission. We won’t dismiss any entry just because AI was involved.
  • In fact, AI can be particularly helpful if English isn’t your first language or if you’re new to putting together award submissions. It can give you a starting point, help with structure, or take the pressure off when time is tight.
  • A word of caution: AI can be helpful – but it’s not a substitute for your voice, your experience or the real-world difference you're making. Generic content won't do justice to the impact of your work – and could weaken your submission.
  • So feel free to use AI as a tool – just make sure what you submit still sounds like you, and tells your story in a way only you can.

The Judging panel for 2026 is made up of five Independent UHUK judges who will bring urgent health clinical, operational, technical and strategic expertise, plus an experienced patient representative. The 2026 Awards have been verified by the UK Award Trust Mark and certified Outstanding.

Judging of Award submissions will take place after final submission deadline, and will follow these criteria:

• The judging panel will review entries virtually and independently of each other
• The judges will be provided with a template by which to score against the award criteria.
• There will be three shortlisted entries per category which will comprise the entries that were awarded the highest mean scores by the judging panel.
• From the three shortlisted finalists, there will be awarded Gold, Silver and Bronze, based on the highest to lowest scores
  In the event of a tie, we will award to the highest median score. If still tied, we will ask the judges who have awarded the lowest score to review their scoring on each submission.
• On receipt of the submission two officers from UHUK will check the submission for completeness; to ensure that the award has been submitted to the correct category and that the award qualifies for the 2025-2026 time period. Any clarification will be sought over email to the submission lead.
• Sarah Fletcher will act as the Returning Officer for the panel and will collate the scores of each judge for each award category entry