Picker Experience Network Awards 2026
Welcome to the live updates page for our fabulous winners at the Picker Experience Network Awards 2026.
Follow along here as we update the results are they're announced, live from the University of Birmingham on the 1st October 2026.
Read our Book of Best Practise by clicking the image opposite to discover all of the projects and people behind these wonderful initiatives.
Timings for the day
Thank you to our partners
Introducing the winners, runners up and finalists of 2026
Commissioning for Better Experience of Care
This category recognises commissioning approaches that shape and improve the experience of care.
Winner: NHS East Genomics
Runner Up: Khafji General Hospital
Finalists:
KGH Patient Experience Excellence Project: Elevating Beneficiary Satisfaction - Khafji General Hospital
Familial Hypercholesterolaemia Identification Hub - NHS East Genomics
Equity in Experience
This category celebrates initiatives addressing inequalities in experience and access and encourages inclusion.
Winner: North Bristol NHS Trust
Runner Up: Cheshire & Wirral
Finalists:
National Nephrostomy Framework: Standardised Framework for Best Practice in Nephrostomy Care - Barts Health NHS Trust
"Born from Experience” co-produced educational films - Cheshire & Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
Safe Hospital programme - Liverpool John Moores University
Expanding the reach of reasonable adjustments: The Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire (BNSSG) Cancer Improvement Collaborative - Bristol NHS Foundation Trust
Northern Cancer Voices Model - Northern Cancer Voices
Health Navigator Project - Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
Bringing Women’s Health Closer to Home: Reducing Inequalities Across Southport and Formby - Southport & Formby Primary Care Network
Digital and Technology Innovation for Experience
This category celebrates digital and other technology that improves experience while maintaining trust and safety. This includes data protection and AI ethics.
Winner: North Bristol NHS Trust
Runner Up: CardMedic
Finalists:
Trust Before Technology: A Practical, Proportionate and Human-Centred AI Governance Pathway - AnalytAIX
CardMedic and Stockport NHS Foundation Trust: ending the silent era at the bedside - CardMedic & Stockport NHS Foundation Trust
The Alder Hey Virtual Tour: enabling patients to experience the journey of their hospital visit before they arrive, reducing pre-visit anxiety - MediSites360
Improving patient experience of cancer care: learning from insights shared by people diagnosed with cancer at Southmead Hospital - Bristol NHS Foundation Trust
From drop in to digitally enabled and how UHCW are meeting maternal vaccination ambitions by removing barriers to access - University Hospitals Coventry & Warwick
Staff Experience and Wellbeing
This category celebrates initiatives improving staff engagement, experience and wellbeing to enhance quality care.
Winner: Southport and Formby Health
Runner Up: Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust
Finalists:
Nutritional Standards in Health and Social Care - Belfast Health and Social Care Trust
Nursing Olympics - Global Initiative
Improving Culture at NSFT - Norfolk & Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust
Delivering pastural support and structured education to Cancer Support Workers: improving wellbeing and personal achievements - Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
You Said, We Did: Co-Creating a Thriving Workforce - Southport & Formby Health
Joined-Up Care Experience
This category celebrates joined-up improvements across multiple services or stages of care including improving experience across pathways of care and wider system collaboration.
Winner: UCLH - The Lighthouse Service
Runner Up: Barts Health NHS Trust
Finalists:
National Nephrostomy Framework: Standardised Framework for Best Practice in Nephrostomy Care - Barts Health NHS Trust
Belfast Community Palliative Care Hub - Belfast Trust
Implementing Patient Centred Care in Clinical Homecare - Personal Homecare Pharmacy
Care Without Conveyance: Bringing Emergency Department Decision-Making to Patients - Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust
Frailty Without Boundaries: One System, One Team, One Journey - Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust
A streamline approach to providing integrated quality care for children and families who have experienced sexual abuse through the Lighthouse Service - UCLH - The Lighthouse Service
Independent Excellence in Experience of Care
This category celebrates experience improvements within the independent or private sector.
Winner: Cygnet Healthcare
Runner Up: Flen Health
Finalists:
From Feedback Collection to Patient Experience Intelligence - Charter Medical Private Hospital
Cygnet Health Care - Cygnet Health Care
Patient Voice Project- Qualitative research, patient guide creation & published article - Flen Health
Midwifery Led Antenatal and Delivery Service, and Maternity Outpatients - HCA Healthcare UK
Walk Out Happy – Transforming the VeinCentre Patient Experience - VeinCentre
Environment of Care
This category recognises environments that enhance dignity, comfort and respect, and the roles of the physical and sensory environment.
Winner: Lime
Runner Up: Cygnet Healthcare
Finalists:
EnjoyArt - Birmingham Women's & Children's NHS Foundation Trust
Cygnet Hospital Kewstoke Farm Project - Cygnet Health Care
Sensing Spaces of Healthcare at Derby and Burton Hospitals – an innovative new approach to improving the hospital environment to support staff and patients - Derby & Burton Hospitals Charity
Lime Music for Health - Lime
Transforming the Experience of Critical Care - Mersey & West Lancashire Teaching hospitals NHS Trust
Emerging Good Practice
This category recognises promising early-stage initiatives improving experience.
Winner: Belfast Health and Social Care Trust
Runner Up: Cheshire & Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
Finalists:
Streamlining the Death Certification Process to Improve Bereavement Experience - Belfast Health and Social Care Trust
The First Year of the Belfast Community Palliative Care Hub - Belfast Health and Social Care Trust
Developing a feedback mechanism to understand the experience of patients with limited verbal communication (learning disability inpatient services) - Cheshire & Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
Enhancing Support for Neurodiverse Individuals with Cancer within the Macmillan Information and Support Service - Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust
Oncology Menopause Support Group: Transforming Cancer Survivorship Care through Patient-Led Initiative - Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
The introduction of SPaRC (Spiritual, Pastoral and Religious Care) Champions - University Hospital of North Midlands
Thrombolysis in Acute Stroke Experience Based Co-design Project - University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust
‘Leicester Maternity Matters’: Improving Access to Information Through Podcasts and Community Engagement Events - University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust
#CallThem - Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust
Partnership Working
This category recognises projects that work in genuine partnership with patients, carers, communities or other organisations.
Winner: PreventX
Runner Up: South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation trust and Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
Finalists:
Say Hello in Any Language - Gloucestershire Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Sounds of the Soul 2025 & The Sangeet Memory Box 2026 bringing memory, culture and connection back through music - Gloucestershire Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
King’s Patient and carer partnership Framework for Quality Improvement -Kings College Hospital
Creating a Legacy for Amber - Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
Powered by Partnership: Delivering England’s First Fully Digital PrEP Pathway - Preventx & The Love Tank CIC
RCPCH Engagement Standards - Royal College of Paediatrics & Child Health
My Transfusion: Co-producing a patient-led digital resource for safer, more informed blood transfusion care - Serious Hazards of Transfusion
Living with Cancer Initiative - South Tyneside & Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust
Leadership and Governance for Experience Excellence
This category recognises leadership and governance that embeds experience as a strategic priority.
Winner: North Bristol NHS Trust
Runner Up: The Royal Devon University Foundation NHS Trust
Finalists:
The Capability-to-Care Transformation Framework A Governance Model Transforming Workforce Capability into Measurable Patient Outcomes - Eastern Health Cluster - Allied Health Professional Development
Quality Café © Initiative: A Step Closer
to Positive Patient Safety Culture - Global Initiative
Making Experience Everyone’s Business: Transforming How NSFT Listens, Learns and Leads - Norfolk & Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust
Improving patient experience of cancer care: learning from insights shared by people diagnosed with cancer at Southmead Hospital - Bristol NHS Foundation Trust
From Feedback to Boardroom: Embedding Patient Experience at the Heart of Organisational Governance - Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
Developing the Capability for Person Centred Care
This category recognises programmes building skills and capability for person centred care for the future. including students and future workforce.
Winner (overall): Reem Hospital
Winner (student): Ulster University
Finalists:
Practical Nursing Care of the Deceased Person including Last Office: A Best Practice Video Resource - Belfast Health and Social Care Trust
Here Health Builders (Lived Experience) - Here
Improving patient experience of cancer care: learning from insights shared by people diagnosed with cancer at Southmead Hospital - Bristol NHS Foundation Trust
Expanding the reach of reasonable adjustments: The Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire (BNSSG) Cancer Improvement Collaborative - Bristol NHS Foundation Trust
Patient Experience Excellence - Reem Hospital
A GP Quality Improvement project on the optimisation of patients with hypertension - Ulster University
Recognising the People Who Matter Most: A Student-Led Quality Improvement Project to Strengthen Person-Centred Dementia Care - Ulster University
Long Term Improvement in Experience of Care
This category recognises initiatives demonstrating long term improvement.
Winner: UCLH - The Lighthouse Service
Runner Up: The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust & Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust
Finalists:
Volunteer to Career Programme at Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust - Cheshire & Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
Patient Conversations and Walk & Talk - Bristol NHS Foundation Trust
Northern Cancer Voices Model - Northern Cancer Voices
Adult Protection Engagement Platform - Patient & Client Council
A streamline approach to providing integrated quality care for children and families who have experienced sexual abuse through the Lighthouse Service - UCLH - The Lighthouse Service
Little Voices: From Award Winner to Lasting Legacy - The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust & Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust
Support Operations Excellence in Improving Experience
This category celebrates operational teams enabling safe and reliable care experience.
Winner: Belfast Health and Social Care Trust
Runner Up: North Bristol NHS Trust and Belfast Health and Social Care Trust
Finalists:
How Catering Innovation and Cross-Departmental Working Have Improved the Experience of Patients with Dysphagia - Belfast Health and Social Care Trust
Streamlining the Death Certification Process to Improve Bereavement Experience - Belfast Health and Social Care Trust
Nutritional Standards in Health and Social Care - Belfast Health and Social Care Trust
Ending the silent era at the bedside - CardMedic & Stockport NHS Foundation Trust
Improving patient experience of cancer care: learning from insights shared by people diagnosed with cancer at Southmead Hospital - Bristol NHS Foundation Trust
Excellence in Personalised Care
This category celebrates personalised, compassionate and respectful care.
Winner: The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust and Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust
Runner Up: The Royal Devon University Foundation NHS Trust
Finalists:
Midwifery Led Antenatal and Delivery Service, and Maternity Outpatients - HCA Healthcare UK
Expanding the reach of reasonable adjustments: The Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire (BNSSG) Cancer Improvement Collaborative - Bristol NHS Foundation Trust
‘When Someone Dies’ Supporting People with Learning Disabilities Through Bereavement - Northern Health and Social Care Trust
Putting Residents First: Personalised Care at Scale in Southport and Formby Care Homes - Southport and Formby Primary Care Network
Implementation and Evaluation of Transitional Care for newborn babies at RDUH – reducing separation, improving outcomes - Royal Devon University Foundation NHS Trust
Calm Connections Clinic - Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust
#CallMe - Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust
International Excellence in Experience of Care
This category celebrates outstanding experience improvement outside the UK.
Winner: Centre of Health Systems & Policy Research, JC School of Public Health and Primary Care, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Runner Up: Reem Hospital
Finalists:
Enhancing patient experiment and care coordination in Abqaiq General Hospital- Emergency department - Abqaiq General Hospital
From Patient Voice to System-wide Transformation: Improving Discharge Communication Through the Post-discharge Information Summary (PDIS) - Centre of Health Systems & Policy Research, JC School of Public Health & Primary Care, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
DALEEL Evidence-to-Practice Accelerator, Transforming Research Evidence into Better Patient Care - Eastern Health Cluster – Allied Health Professional Development
The Capability-to-Care Transformation Framework
A Governance Model Transforming Workforce Capability into Measurable Patient Outcomes - Eastern Health Cluster – Allied Health Professional Development
KGH Patient Experience Excellence Project: Elevating Beneficiary Satisfaction - Khafji General Hospital
Patient Experience Excellence - Reem Hospital
From Insight to Impact
This category recognises organisations that listen, learn and act on feedback using insight.
Winner: Cardiff and Vale University Health Board
Runner Up: Northern Cancer Voices, South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust and Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust
Finalists:
Patient Conversations and Walk & Talk - Bristol NHS Foundation Trust
Expanding the reach of reasonable adjustments: The Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire (BNSSG) Cancer Improvement Collaborative - Bristol NHS Foundation Trust
From Lived Experience to System Action: Tackling Financial Barriers to Cancer Care Through ‘Treat, Heat or Eat’ - Northern Cancer Voices
Transforming Patient Experience Through Real Time Feedback - Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust
Adult Protection Engagement Platform - Patient and Client Council
Patient Experience Excellence - Reem Hospital
You Said, We Did: Working together to improve the research experience - Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
From Patient Voices to Measurable Change in Vascular Surgery: The PREMIERE Project - South East Wales Vascular Network (SEWVN)
Living with Cancer Initiative - South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust
Outstanding Contribution to Experience of Care
This category recognises exceptional leadership or contribution.
Winner: University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust
Runner Up: East London NHS Foundation Trust
Finalists:
University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust
Trigeminal Neuralgia Association UK
East London NHS Foundation Trust
Outstanding Contribution to Volunteering including Patient, Carer or Community Recognition
This category recognises exceptional volunteering by individuals that are improving people's experience's of care.
Winner: East London NHS Foundation Trust
Runner Up: Royal Devon & Exeter NHS Foundation Trust
Finalists:
Royal Belfast Hospital – Recognising the work of Rose - Belfast Health and Social Care Trust
Pathways App: Recognising the work of Shuayb - East London NHS Foundation Trust
Psychosis United: Recognising the work of Mike - Essex Partnership University Trust
Lived experience global Locked In Syndrome advocacy :Kate Allatt - Kate Allatt Speaker & advocacy
Phil Tearle: An outstanding contribution to volunteering - Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
Giving a Voice to People Living with Trigeminal Neuralgia and Facial Pain: Aneeta Prem MBE JP - Trigeminal Neuralgia Association UK
Patient Involvement in Patient Safety in Partnership with Patient Safety Learning
This category recognises patients who have worked with healthcare organisations to drive meaningful safety improvements.
Winner: Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust
Runner Up: Serious Hazards of Transfusion
Finalists:
National Nephrostomy Framework: Standardised Framework for Best Practice in Nephrostomy Care - Barts Health NHS Trust
Transforming Surgical Safety Through Trust Wide Digital Consent - Concentric Health
Transforming the Musculoskeletal Patient Journey: A personalised dry needling service that reduced visits, improved access and enhanced recovery - Eastern Health Cluster – Allied Health Professional Development
Quality Café © Initiative: A Step Closer
to Positive Patient Safety Culture - Global Initiative
That One Person - Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Teaching Trust
My Transfusion: Co-producing a patient-led digital resource for safer, more informed blood transfusion care - Serious Hazards of Transfusion
Teams Making a Difference to Experience
This category recognises teams delivering excellent care experiences.
Winner: NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde
Runner Up: Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
Finalists:
National Nephrostomy Framework: Standardised Framework for Best Practice in Nephrostomy Care - Barts Health NHS Trust
Complaints Team - Cygnet Health Care
Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer – improving pathways and patient experience in a nurse led clinic - Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
In Your Shoes Listening Events - Manx Care
Patient Experience Public Involvement Team - NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde
Patient Voice Team – Driving Meaningful Change Through Partnership, Insight and Co-Production - The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust & Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust
The Golden Thread: One Team Improving Experience Across Two Trusts - The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust & Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust
Overall Winner of the PEN Awards 2026
UCLH - The Lighthouse Service
A huge congratulations to our much deserving overall winner of this year's PEN Awards. To find out more about UCLH's Lighthouse Service, click here.
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Register for the 2027 awards
If you've loved the Awards as much as we have and would like to join the celebrating (again, or for the first time!) next year, please register your interest below.
We look forward to another year of championing excellence in the sector, and we hope to see you at the 2027 Picker Experience Network Awards.