Devon and Cornwall celebrate seven winners in the first NHS Excellence award 2026
The awards highlight innovation, quality improvement and leadership across health and care. Regional champions were selected by NHS panels for their work across the South West.
Several organisations in Devon and Cornwall were named regional champions in seven of the 10 categories:
- Delivering value – Drugless CT coronary angiography service. The Trust redesigned the pathway to eliminate the need for IV beta blockers and empower specialist cardiac CT radiographers to independently run high‑throughput CTCA lists. University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust
- Working in partnership – A system-wide partnership for compassionate End-of-Life Care, means recognising when care should shift from doing more, to doing what is right, supporting patients to be comfortable, heard, and, wherever possible, in the place they want to be. University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust
- Quality improvement – Acute medical admission pathways, a new model enabling appropriate patients to be admitted directly to acute medicine, safely bypassing the Emergency Department. University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust
- Valuing our people – Reasonable Adjustments Project, working alongside people with learning disabilities or autistic people who may need small, practical changes to help them navigate healthcare. Devon Partnership Trust
- Patient involvement and choice – Isaac’s Story – A powerful lived‑experience story from a young deaf man, Isaac, exposed serious communication barriers that were preventing deaf people in Cornwall from accessing safe, equitable care leading to system-wide change for Deaf people and national BSL diabetes films. NHS Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Integrated Care Board
- Patient involvement and choice – Isaac’s Story – A powerful lived‑experience story from a young deaf man, Isaac which showed the challenges in accessing health and public services highlighting the communication barriers that were preventing deaf people in Cornwall from accessing care. This led to local engagement with deaf people to understand more and has lead to system-wide changes to raise deaf awareness, training for staff and the creation of communications materials in British Sign Language (BSL) for Deaf people including a national partnership with Diabetes UK to create BSL diabetes advice films: New diabetes films in British Sign Language as part of work to turn the tide on diabetes - NHS Cornwall and Isles of Scilly . NHS Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Integrated Care Board in partnership with Diabetes UK, Hearing Loss Cornwall and lived experience members from the Long Term Conditions Group.
- Improving health outcomes – The Market Health Hub, a cross-border neighbourhood health initiative submitted by Coast and Country Primary Care Network. The hub-based initiative brings healthcare directly into the Holsworthy livestock market, offering a free, drop-in service for people who may not routinely access traditional healthcare settings. Coast and Country Primary Care Network
Regional champions from all parts of England will now progress to the national shortlist, with winners announced at an awards ceremony at NHS ConfedExpo in Manchester in June 2026.
Chair of NHS Devon and NHS Cornwall and Isles of Scilly, John Govett said:
“These awards are a powerful recognition of the dedication, innovation and compassion shown by teams across Devon and Cornwall.
“From improving access to care in our communities to ensuring patients are treated with dignity at every stage of their journey, our regional champions demonstrate what is possible when we work together across organisations.
“I’m incredibly proud of the staff, volunteers and partners whose efforts are making a real difference to people’s lives, and I wish them every success as they go forward to represent the South West on the national stage.”
The NHS Excellence Awards are the only awards run by, and for, the NHS. They aim to share learning and encourage the adoption of proven approaches that improve care and experience for patients and staff.
The awards recognise practical improvements that support safer care, better patient experience and more efficient use of NHS resources. Many of the projects focus on improving access to services, supporting people closer to home and ensuring care is inclusive for all communities.
Patients in Devon and Cornwall can be reassured that these initiatives reflect ongoing work to maintain high standards of care, improve outcomes and make services more responsive to local needs.
