Empowering Patients through Digital 

Empowering Patients through Digital
Empowering Patients through Digital 
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  2. Start your entry (save it in-progress).
  3. Submit your entry to be in the running.

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Empowering patients is a key focus of the NHS as it continues to adapt and evolve in response to the increasing demands on healthcare services. The 10 Year Health Plan has made 'power in your hands' central to the shift from analogue to digital, with the NHS App set to become the full front door to the entire NHS by 2028 and the ambition for the overwhelming majority of appointments to be bookable or triageable through the NHS App by the end of the decade.

The NHS is actively promoting the use of digital tools that enable patients to monitor their health, navigate the healthcare system effectively, and manage appointments, medications and referrals independently. Digitally empowering patients also frees up time for staff to interact with patients with more complex needs, reducing pressure on the system.

This award recognises teams and projects that successfully transition patients from being passive recipients of care to engaged participants in their health outcomes. Judges will look for digital initiatives that drive tangible improvements in access, patient experience, and health outcomes, including those which help patients build the confidence and skills to make the most of digital services. Strong evidence of co-production with patients and service users will be crucial, demonstrating how their feedback has shaped the development and implementation of these innovations.

Eligibility

  • All NHS organisations (including providers, partnerships and systems), General Practice and primary care organisations.
  • Evidence must relate to a project, ongoing or completed within the 2 years up until the award entry deadline.

Ambition

The challenge and context within which your project, person or organisation is set alongside your goals and targets whether quantitative or qualitative, and how this aligns with national priorities.

  • Outline the scope of the project - what were the aims, why was a digital project required, and what strategic thinking or planning was carried out before bringing technology to the table?
  • Define the intended goals and measures of success, and how these align with national priorities such as the 10 Year Health Plan's ambition to put power in patients' hands.
  • Discuss how the risks of exclusion or exacerbating inequalities were considered in the design and development of the project, product or service, and what mitigations were put in place.

Collaboration

The stakeholders' involvement in co-designing and delivering the project. How have patients, staff at all levels, communities and other parties worked together to realise the outcomes?

  • Explain how patients, service users or the community were involved in the design, planning and implementation of this project, product or service.
  • Share how all relevant staff were engaged in the design and implementation of the project, product or service.
  • Describe and provide testimonial evidence of the working relationship between the technology partner (if relevant) and the NHS organisation that enabled a genuinely co-produced product or service.

Impact

The measurable benefits delivered to patients, staff, your organisation or the wider system. Provide data and evidence showing improvements to outcomes, quality, access, equity or efficiency.

  • Evidence performance against the success measures and targets mentioned above, including relevant clinical, operational and financial metrics. Judges want to see clear before-and-after evidence, with the numbers supported by the story behind them.
  • Share how the project, product or service has provided patients with better access to data or information on their care, and enabled them to be more proactively involved in their care and improve outcomes.
  • Share how the patient and staff experience has improved as a result of the digital project, product or service, providing testimonial evidence to support these claims.

Scale

How your work has been shared, adopted or replicated beyond your immediate team or organisation. This includes dissemination through publications, presentations, toolkits, partnerships or inspiring similar initiatives elsewhere.

  • Describe, and if possible evidence, how the learnings from the project or product/service development have been shared across and beyond your organisation or system, including through publications, presentations, toolkits or networks.
  • Provide evidence of adoption or replication beyond your immediate team or organisational boundaries.
  • Discuss the scope for further replication or scaling up of this project, product or service in other settings.

Sustainability

The potential for the project/work to continue and create lasting impact. Evidence of how it can be sustained or built upon.

  • Explain how the project, product or service is being embedded into business as usual, and what resource or funding is in place to sustain it.
  • Describe your plans for sustaining and building on this work, including how patient feedback will continue to shape its development.
  • Discuss how this work contributes to the longer-term ambition of a digital-first NHS in which patients can access care and manage their health online.

Empowering Patients through Digital 

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To find out more

Partnership opportunities:  Sponsorship Sales Team
Awards entry enquiries: Support Team
Judging and event management: Awards Support