2023 award videos and gallery

Hear from our award winners

                                 

 

                                 

 

                                                

 

 

                                                

 

2023 Award Categories

 
 
 

INNOVATION IN WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AWARD

The welfare and development of staff is crucial to the wellbeing of the health and care community across the North West Coast.

This award will recognise outstanding innovative projects which help to recruit and encourage our workforce to thrive and succeed.

The work could include the introduction of new technology; working more collaboratively; promoting flexibility or agile working; or another innovative approach to improving the wellbeing and development of staff. This award will be presented to an organisation that can demonstrate innovation that benefits patients as well as healthcare staff.

The award will be judged on the following criteria:

  • The problem and/or system challenge
  • Your approach / strategy to develop and deliver the innovation
  • The workforce impact to date – the effect on staff
  • The strategic spread and long-term impact of the innovation
 

UNSUNG HERO - NHS 75TH ANNIVERSARY AWARD

In the 75th birthday year of the NHS, we are proud to offer this special award to recognise an individual or team whose outstanding contribution to health and care might otherwise be unnoticed.

The award will be judged on the following criteria:

  • The significance of the contribution made
  • Evidence of the effect it has made to the healthcare community
  • A demonstration of how the nominee has inspired others
 

CULTURE FOR INNOVATION AWARD

Creating an environment where innovation can thrive is the key to any successful organisation. A culture where good ideas are actively encouraged across a diverse workplace community allows health and social care innovation to flourish.

A culture for innovation is where diverse voices come together and there are opportunities for ideas to be generated and progressed, acknowledging that staff understand what might help to improve their services and they are actively engaged and provided with support and time to develop and evaluate innovative ways of doing things.

This award will be presented to a team or organisation that has developed an approach to innovation through the development of a positive and effective workplace culture that has resulted in real changes that have benefitted patients and staff.

The award will be judged on the following criteria:

  • Organisational strategy and the way this supports people to innovate and be innovative
  • The values that drive your team or organisation’s culture of innovation
  • How people in your team or organisation are supported to take forward a good idea for an innovative way of working
  • How you reward and incentivise innovation – In what way are you and your team rewarding and incentivising staff to be innovative
  • Examples of an innovation that has been developed due to the changes in culture
 

PRIMARY CARE OR COMMUNITY RESEARCH TEAM OF THE YEAR AWARD

We are looking for research teams who are demonstrating how research is being delivered outside of the traditional hospital setting into communities and making more research opportunity available to communities living in our region.  

Your submission should be able to demonstrate some of the following:  

  • How the research team has engaged with a research naïve community and helped that community see the benefit that research can bring.  
  • How the research study has tackled an unmet health need and health inequality for their community.  
  • Successful delivery of a research study and how it has improved health conditions for the community.  
 

RESEARCH COLLABORATION OF THE YEAR AWARD

This award is aimed at recognising good examples of research collaboration between organisations delivering healthcare in our region. Organisations may be from the NHS, social care, local government charitable organisations and the life science sector. The collaboration should have led to the adoption of improvements in the health of populations living in our region. 

Your submission should be able to demonstrate some of the following: 

  • How the collaborative partnership was formed.  
  • How the research was developed and how it tackled the unmet health need.  
  • How you have embraced collaborative working with stakeholders to deliver a wider impact upon patient care across the region 
  • The potential long-term impact that has come about as a result of the partnership working across the research collaboration. 
 

RESEARCH DELIVERY TEAM OF THE YEAR AWARD

This award is aimed at a research team has made a positive impact on the delivery of research studies across the North West Coast region. Your submission should be able to demonstrate some of the following:  

  • Development of unique methods for recruiting participants to studies with clear results. 
  • Adoption of innovative ways to undertake a research study to meet participant needs. 
  • How the team has made steps to help all clinical areas in their organisation become 'research active' or 'research aware.'
 

THE 2023 SUSTAINABILITY AWARD  

The impact we have on the environment has never been under greater scrutiny.

This category is sponsored by Lancashire and South Cumbria Health and Care Partnership; and Cheshire and Merseyside Health and Care Partnership. The award aims to recognise an individual or team whose work has enabled improvements or efficiencies in services, departments, pathways and patient experience while boosting sustainability.

Your submission should be able to demonstrate some of the following:

  • How you identified the problem/system issue – describe the challenge faced
  • Your approach/strategy 
  • The impact of the transformation – include evidence/testimonials from staff and/or patients or public
  • Lessons learned and critical success factors
  • How you have shared the lessons learned 
 

TACKLING HEALTH INEQUALITIES AWARD

We are proud to serve a diverse region and this category is sponsored by Lancashire and South Cumbria Health and Care Partnership; and Cheshire and Merseyside Health and Care Partnership. The award recognises work carried out to tackle health inequalities across the North West Coast. 

We want to hear about achievements in understanding and assessing the well-being of people across the region; and innovative ways of working to address inequalities. 

Nominees may have performed or are conducting validated research that raises awareness of a key issue of concern, or which contributes towards a reduction in health inequalities. Or they may have developed a novel approach, for instance involving local communities alongside public sector organisations in addressing local needs.

Your submission should be able to demonstrate some of the following:

  • Context for the nomination – why the project/research was initiated
  • Describe the project/research and steps taken
  • Involvement of local communities
  • Impact of project/research to date
  • Parity of esteem addressing both physical health and mental health
 

OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO PATIENT AND PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT (PPI) IN RESEARCH OR INNOVATION AWARD

This award is aimed at an individual or group who can demonstrate excellence in the participation of either individual patients, service users or carers within a piece of research or an innovative project. The award is looking for patients and service users at the heart of research and innovation to ensure the enhancement of health and care and experience of health / local provider services in general. You will need to demonstrate the practicalities of how PPI has been embedded in different stages of the project. 

Things to consider: 

  • What steps were put in place to ensure patient/public involvement from its outset? 
  • How were public representatives engaged and recruited? 
  • How are public members kept abreast with technical knowledge and understanding of complex requirements? 
  • What value have the public members brought to the project/research team generally and how have they helped enhance the research/project?
 

THE RUTH YOUNG AWARD FOR RESEARCH IMPLEMENTATION

This award is for examples of research initiatives or partner collaborations that have delivered evidence which has been transferred/delivered into practice and can demonstrate outputs that have enhanced or improved frontline delivery to service users in any area. 

You should be able to demonstrate:

  • How the research was developed and how it tackled an identified problem or subject 
  • Tell us about any collaboration between stakeholders during the research and how this was managed 
  • Tell us about your approach/strategy to implementing the research findings in the provider organisation(s) 
  • What is the potential long-term impact/legacy of the research now it has been implemented 
  • How has the innovation been shared amongst other providers in the same sector so wider learning can take place? 
 

RESEARCH STUDENT OF THE YEAR AWARD

This award is aimed at an individual who has demonstrated an unparalleled commitment to their research. 

Things to consider if nominating a student: 

  • How does this student stand out from their peers? 
  • How have they gone above and beyond what is expected, and set themselves apart from the crowd while performing their research? 
  • What evidence can you show that this student is truly excellent? 
  • What has been their personal achievement, rather than just conducting their research? (This could include success at a national / international level, for example in presenting at conferences and raising awareness of their research and its value to a wider audience.) 
  • Contribution to their local university or wider community 

Their achievements do not need to relate to research already published. 

 

PATIENT SAFETY AND CARE IMPROVEMENT AWARD

This award recognises initiatives that have made a real difference to patient safety and care in 2022/23.

Applicants should be able to clearly demonstrate how their approach to tackle a problem or system challenge was developed and provide evidence of how the initiative has involved patients, public, colleagues or other stakeholders.

The concept could be locally created or adapted/adopted from a national initiative.

The award will be judged on the following criteria:

  • Clear evidence of positive benefits, together with information about any additional, unforeseen impacts or benefits
  • Involvement of patients and staff and other relevant stakeholders in developing and refining the innovation and/or initiative
  • The long-term ambition for the project and how it could be applied more widely both in your organisation and outside in other environments
  • Examples of success and improvements since the initiative was developed.
 

Would you like to join our alumni of NWC award winners? Stay tuned to find out the details of the 2024 Awards Competition.