WINNER

Northamptonshire Healthcare Foundation Trust and Leicestershire Partnership Trust

Chat Mental Health: A Collaborative NHS Digital Innovation to Improve Access to Crisis Support Teams

Northamptonshire Healthcare Foundation Trust launched the Chat Mental Health service to improve access to crisis support for individuals unable to use traditional phone lines. In partnership with Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust, the team implemented ChatHealth, an NHS-developed, secure messaging platform. The service enables users to text qualified mental health practitioners 24/7, offering discreet, timely, and inclusive support. Designed with input from service users and staff, the service now manages over 600 conversations monthly. It reduces pressure on phone lines, improves staff efficiency, and empowers users to seek help in a way that suits them, delivering real impact through digital innovation.

Read a detailed case study about this project at HSJ Solutions

Highly commended

Wrightington Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals FT: Digital Mental Health Referral from ED

Finalists

Midlands Partnership University FT: The beseen Digital Front Door: Transforming NHS Mental Health Pathways at National Scale

West London Trust: Bringing West London NHS Trust Online – ePMA for High-Risk Mental Health Pathways

South London and Maudsley Trust: eObs Programme: Enhanced Care

Rotherham Doncaster and South Humber Trust: Flow Neuroscience - Hope on the waiting list

Mersey Care FT: Supportive Electronic Observations (eObs)

Warwickshire East Primary Care Network: SilverCloud: Digitally Empowered CBT Access Across Warwickshire East PCN

Topics

HSJ Digital Awards 2026: Winners revealed

Digital Awards 2026_Left Aligned

The HSJ Digital Awards 2026 took place last night at the ICC Birmingham, celebrating outstanding contributions to digital healthcare transformation across the NHS and wider sector.