HSJ Patient Safety Awards 2026: Winners revealed

This year’s event attracted 427 entries, with 217 shortlisted across 25 categories.

The ceremony at Telford International Centre was hosted by comedian Hal Cruttenden, and 135 judges were involved in selecting the winners. The first stage of judging took place over five weeks, followed by around 190 hours of virtual judging during the second stage.

Categories included the Improving Medicines Safety Award, the Urgent and Emergency Care Safety Initiative of the Year, the Maternity, Midwifery and Neonatal Safety Initiative of the Year, and Patient Safety Team of the Year.

The 25 awards span three broad areas: clinical and specialist excellence, organisation-wide change, and service and system innovation. They also include awards for digital clinical safety, surgical care, the use of data and analytics, and patient involvement.

For the first time this year, shortlisted organisations were also invited to present their projects at the HSJ Patient Safety Congress, which was held alongside the awards.

Opening the event, HSJ editor Alastair McLellan said patient safety had returned to the top of the health agenda over the past year, but warned the debate had focused overwhelmingly on maternity services.

He said safety in emergency departments and acute wards was receiving less attention, with debate instead dominated by access and waiting times. He noted that long accident and emergency department waits, particularly those of more than eight hours, were strongly associated with increased mortality.

Mr McLellan also praised those shortlisted for achieving improvements despite the pressures facing the NHS. He said work to prevent patient harm was not always welcomed amid unprecedented demand and the drive to recover performance, adding that the finalists’ achievements showed “what is possible in even the most unpromising situations”.

He also thanked the 135 judges, describing them as leading authorities in their fields, as well as headline sponsor Radar Healthcare and the awards’ category partners.

The event, now in its 16th year, recognises individuals and teams working to improve safety across the NHS and wider health and care services.