WINNER

The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust

Orthodontic Oral Surgery Improvements

This project redesigned the orthodontic and oral surgery pathway at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust to tackle excessive waiting times that were putting patients at risk. Using a data-driven quality improvement approach, the team introduced virtual assessment clinics, joint multidisciplinary clinics, and standardised patient information resources. Ongoing audit and analytics were used to identify bottlenecks, monitor the risk of harm from delays, and track progress. The initiative significantly cut waiting times, improved clinic capacity utilisation, strengthened informed consent processes, and reduced the clinical risks associated with delayed treatment. The redesigned pathway is now fully embedded, demonstrably safer, and could be replicated across other specialties and NHS organisations.

Read a detailed case study about this project at HSJ Best Practice.

Highly commended

Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells Trust: Real-Time Lying and Standing Blood Pressure Analytics to Reduce Inpatient Falls and Improve Patient Safety

Finalists

The Dudley Group FT: Development of a Quality Management System to Sustain Patient Safety in Maternity Services

University Hospital Southampton FT: Patient safety: The Role of Out-of-Hours Medicine ACP Team

NHS Blood and Transplant: RCI Assist – A Digital Decision Support Tool to Improve Transfusion Safety

Cambridge University Hospitals FT: Inpatient Ultrasound Service Project

Mersey Care FT: The Safeguarding Duty Hub: Turning Frontline Safeguarding Insight into Safer Care Across a Regional NHS Provider

Topics

HSJ Patient Safety Awards 2026: Winners revealed

HSJ-Patient-Safety-Awards-704x385-1 (1)

The winners of the HSJ Patient Safety Awards 2026 were announced last night, recognising outstanding efforts to make care safer.