19 January 2026

The new NHS Excellence Awards are now open, providing a national platform to recognise the outstanding work taking place across health and care, sharing the best of the NHS with the rest of the NHS.

Every day, local teams are delivering improvements that drive better outcomes, strengthen services and support better experiences for patients and communities.

Run by and for the NHS, they’re free to enter and open to NHS organisations and providers working in partnership with the NHS to deliver local health and care services in England.

There are ten categories that highlight innovation transforming health and care. The same team or project cannot be entered in more than one category.

The categories are:

  1. Delivering value award
  2. Digital innovation award
  3. Improving health outcomes award
  4. Leadership award
  5. Neighbourhood health award
  6. Patient involvement and choice award
  7. Quality improvement award
  8. Sustainable healthcare award
  9. Valuing our people award
  10. Working in partnership award

Please contact your communications lead on any service submissions. Shortlisted regional champions will be announced in mid-April 2026 and national winners celebrated at an awards ceremony at NHS ConfedExpo on 10 June 2026.

Find out more here and enter before 5pm Friday, 6 March 2026.

Return to Trust news