OUH shortlisted for four prestigious HSJ Awards

Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (OUH) has been shortlisted in four categories at the prestigious 2026 Health Service Journal (HSJ) Awards, recognising excellence, innovation and collaboration across the NHS.

The four categories are Staff Wellbeing and Culture, Towards Net Zero, Driving Efficiency through Technology, and Provider Collaborative of the Year categories.

Staff Wellbeing and Culture award

The OUH Staff Cycling Initiative, led by our Health Promotion Practitioners, Christine McBride-Cowell and Catherine McNeill, has been shortlisted for the Staff Wellbeing and Culture Award.

Building on a successful 2024 pilot, the 2025 programme supported 45 staff across the John Radcliffe and Churchill hospitals sites to take up cycling through tailored training and confidence-building sessions. As a result, 36% of participants improved by at least one skill level and 80% planned to cycle to work.

Nominator Emma Hagues, OUH Here for Health Service Development Manager, said: "Christine and Catherine's leadership has created a lasting impact, improving staff wellbeing while supporting the Trust's sustainability ambitions. By expanding the pilot into an inclusive programme and establishing a long-term Cycle Training Hub, they have demonstrated how staff-led innovation can deliver meaningful and lasting change. Congratulations to both of them."

Towards Net Zero award

The winners of the 2026 OUH Staff Recognition Awards for Sustainability, Changing Culture, Cutting Carbon, a multi-site Green Nephrology Programme across the Oxford Kidney Unit, have been shortlisted for the HSJ Towards Net Zero Award.

The programme has transformed the environmental impact of haemodialysis services, which deliver 105,000 treatments annually. Since launching in 2025, it has eliminated an estimated 78,475 disinfection cycles each year, saving 29 tonnes of CO₂ equivalent and £40,000, while maintaining high-quality patient care. Staff confidence in applying sustainable practice increased from 33% to 96%, with patients actively involved in driving greener care.

Programme lead Dr Ayushi Gupta, Renal Registrar and Renal Quality Improvement Fellow at OUH, said: "Congratulations to the Oxford Kidney Unit team. This shortlisting belongs to the nurses, technicians, pharmacists and patients who changed how we work. The success of the programme is due to the change in culture, and culture is what keeps improvement in place long after a project ends. We hope it will inspire similar initiatives across the NHS in support of net-zero ambitions."

Driving Efficiency through Technology award

Expanding on the Trust’s radiology referral improvement project, Optimising EPR Diagnostic Requesting and Endorsement: Streamlining End-to-End Digital Diagnostic Pathways for Safer, More Efficient Patient Care, has been shortlisted for the Driving Efficiency through Technology Award.

The project has transformed how Lab and diagnostic tests and imaging are requested, reported and managed across OUH. Through a series of targeted digital improvements, the project has reduced administrative burden, automated routine processes, strengthened patient safety safeguards and improved clinical decision-making, helping ensure the right information reaches the right clinician at the right time while enabling staff to focus more on patient care.

Project lead and the nominator Payam Mohaghegh, Digital Integration Architect and Order Communications lead for EPR at OUH, said: "This project demonstrates how digitally-enabled improvements can support safer, more efficient patient care while reducing burden on staff. The HSJ shortlisting reflects OUH’s commitment to using technology to improve outcomes for patients and support colleagues across the Trust. Congratulations to everyone involved in this project."

Provider Collaborative of the Year award

OUH and Sobell House Hospice Charity have been shortlisted in the HSJ Awards' Provider Collaborative of the Year category for the Oxford Metastatic Intervention Team (OxMINT), an innovative service for patients with metastatic bone disease.

OxMINT is the first clinical forum of its kind in the UK and one of only three worldwide. Bringing together specialists in oncology, palliative care, orthopaedics, radiology, and other disciplines, the multidisciplinary team rapidly reviews cases of patients with symptomatic metastatic bone disease and recommends treatment options. Supported by Sobell House Hospice Charity, the service improves access to specialist care, enhances patient experience and outcomes, and supports clinician learning.

One of the nominators, Consultant Victoria Bradley, OxMINT Chair and Clinical Lead for Palliative Medicine at OUH, said: "This nomination recognises an outstanding partnership. The service delivers exceptional value for the NHS, generating an estimated £69 for every £1 invested. Over 30 months, OxMINT received 406 referrals, with decisions made in an average of just 2.2 days, compared with weeks reported internationally, and more than 75% of patients received specific treatment recommendations. Congratulations to the team."

Simon Crowther, Interim Chief Executive Officer at OUH, said: "Congratulations to all the teams that are shortlisted for the 2026 HSJ Awards. It is great to see the breadth of innovation taking place across the Trust being showcased by the shortlisted entries; from supporting staff wellbeing and reducing environmental impact to harnessing technology and developing new models of collaborative care. Well done, teams, and good luck."

The complete shortlist is available on HSJ Awards website and the winners of the HSJ Awards will be announced in November 2026.