Health and care services shortlisted for national healthcare excellence awards
Health and care partners in Healthier Together, the Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire (BNSSG) integrated care system, have been shortlisted in this year’s prestigious national HSJ Awards for their commitment to healthcare excellence.
The annual awards highlight exceptional work and innovation in UK healthcare and this year judges have singled out a range of local initiatives for praise.
The Children and Young People’s Vanguard Project has been shortlisted in two Award categories for its work to improve support for children and young people exhibiting ‘high risk’ behaviours which may result in contact with the criminal justice system.
The multi-agency project, funded by NHS England South-West Health & Justice, brings together local and regional NHS organisations, the Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire local authorities and voluntary and community sector organisations to identify high-risk children and support them to avoid criminal justice system involvement at an earlier stage. More than 1,500 children have been supported since the project launched in 2020.
The BNSSG Mental health and wellbeing Integrated Network Teams (MINT) initiative has been shortlisted in the category ‘Integrated Care Initiative of the Year’. It brings together a wide range of partners involved in local mental health provision, including people with lived experience, to help people to access mental health and wellbeing support more quickly and closer to home.
Delivered via a dedicated team in each of the six BNSSG localities, the MINT service is transforming the way that people access clinical, psychological and social support in their community. Alongside this, a range of new specialist mental health services have been established to improve people’s access to evidence-based support.
Reframe – Diverse Images for Healthcare, a pioneering project aimed at increasing the visual representation of marginalised groups in healthcare imagery, has been shortlisted for two HSJ Awards: the Innovation and Improvement in Reducing Healthcare Inequalities Award, and the NHS Race Equality Award.
Developed in partnership by NHS England, the University of the West of England Bristol (UWE Bristol), and the Medical Illustration team at University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust (UHBW), the Reframe image library features over 3,000 inclusive images. These visuals showcase a wide range of medical conditions across diverse skin tones, providing a vital resource for healthcare professionals, educators, and students to support more accurate diagnoses and improve health outcomes through increased diagnostic confidence and inclusivity.
This year’s HSJ awards attracted more than 1,250 entries from across the health sector, with only 245 projects and individuals — including the BNSSG schemes — making it through to the final shortlist.
Jeff Farrar, Healthier Together integrated care system chair, said:
“These initiatives are fantastic examples of the way in which partners across our health and care system, including NHS, social care and the voluntary sector, have come together to provide joined-up, high-quality healthcare for local people.
“Having these services recognised on a national stage like this is very welcome and a testament to the hard work and dedication of our colleagues. Well done to everyone for getting to the shortlist stage and good luck at the next stage of the Awards.”
Emma Morgan, project manager for the Vanguard project at NHS Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board, said:
“This is great news and highlights the amazing work and outcomes of the BNSSG Vanguard and how using a trauma informed integrated approach, at the earliest point, can reduce high risk behaviours whilst improving childrens’ wellbeing and sense of purpose.
“The BNSSG Vanguard really deserves this recognition for working innovatively across statutory and voluntary sector agencies and enabling children with complex needs in the local area to thrive.”
Paul O’Sullivan, Head of NHS England South-West Health & Justice, which funds the Vanguard project, said:
“Being shortlisted for two HSJ Awards is a testament to the collaborative commissioning between BNSSG ICB and NHS England and the integrated care delivered by statutory and voluntary sector partners, brilliantly guided by the insight of young people themselves.
“The BNSSG Vanguard is demonstrating the real impact of local systems working together, breaking down barriers, sharing expertise and importantly, improving the experience and outcomes for children and young people.”
Victoria Bleazard, Community Mental Health Programme Director for Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire at Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust and lead for the MINT programme, said:
“We are delighted that the collaborative efforts across our NHS, local authority, voluntary sector and lived experience partners have been recognised.
“Our new Mental health and wellbeing Integrated Network Teams (MINT) enable partners to work seamlessly as ‘one team’. They have been established alongside a range of new specialist mental health services, enabling people to more quickly access evidence-based support. While there is still more to achieve, this endorsement of our approach and progress is welcomed”.
The 2025 HSJ Awards judging panel is made up of a range of influential and respected figures within the healthcare community including senior figures from the Department of Health & Social Care and Chief Executives from NHS Trusts across the UK.
Winners will be announced at the national HSJ Awards Ceremony, which is being held on 20 November in London.