WINNER

Bolton FT and Bolton Deaf Society

Martha’s Rule – Equitable Access For Members of The Deaf Community

Bolton NHS Foundation Trust worked in true partnership with Bolton Deaf Society to co‑design safe and accessible access to Martha’s Rule for members of the Deaf community. The organisers recognised that escalation routes relied heavily on verbal communication; therefore, they identified and addressed an inadvertently created patient safety risk. Deaf community members were equal partners in designing, testing and implementing solutions that enabled confident escalation of care concerns and promotion of Martha’s Rule. This work has reduced barriers, strengthened patient empowerment, and ensured delivery of equitable safety for all patients, while providing a transferable model for inclusive, patient‑led safety improvement.

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

Finalists

Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership Trust: Experience of Care – Trust-Wide Lived Experience Panel

Islington GP Federation: Co-Producing Safer Total Digital Triage at City Road Medical Centre

Dartford and Gravesham Trust: Lived Experience Videos Improving Listening to Families

The Christie FT: Co-Designed Pre-Operative Education to Improve Patient Safety in Robotic Prostatectomy (RALP)

Serious Hazards of Transfusion: My Transfusion: A Co‑Produced Digital Tool Transforming Consent and Safety in Blood Transfusion Care

University Hospital Tees FT: Ensuring Every Patient Is Heard: Co‑Producing Safety for the Most Vulnerable

Imperial College Healthcare Trust: Embedding Patient Safety Partners at the Heart of Safety

NHS England Medicines Safety Improvement Team in collaboration with HIN Patient Safety Collaboratives, NHSBSA, 27+ ICSs including Health and non-health organisations and lived experience partners: Creating Safer Systems in Partnership With Patients: Reducing Opioid Harm Nationwide

Topics

HSJ Patient Safety Awards 2026: Winners revealed

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