Health Innovation West of England is celebrating the achievements of organisations across the region after a number of innovative patient safety projects were shortlisted for the 2026 HSJ Patient Safety Awards.
The annual awards recognise outstanding work to improve patient safety across the NHS, celebrating projects that demonstrate innovation, collaboration and measurable improvements in the quality and safety of care.
Health Innovation West of England is proud to be among this year’s finalists as a partner in the national Medicines Safety Improvement Programme (MedSIP). Led by NHS England’s Medicines Safety Improvement Team, the programme has been shortlisted in two categories:
- Best Use of Integrated Care and Partnership Working in Patient Safety Award for Creating Safer Systems: How Cross-Sector Partnership Reduce Opioid Harm Nationwide
- Patient Involvement in Safety Award for Creating Safer Systems in Partnership with Patients: Reducing Opioid Harm Nationwide
The national programme brings together NHS England’s Medicines Safety Improvement Team, Health Innovation Network Patient Safety Collaboratives, NHS Business Services Authority, more than 27 Integrated Care Systems, healthcare organisations, voluntary, community and social enterprise partners, and people with lived experience to improve the safe use of opioids for people living with chronic non-cancer pain.
Across the West of England, several organisations have also been recognised for their commitment to improving patient safety. Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust has been shortlisted in three categories for its work to strengthen patient involvement, improve mental health services through lived experience, and support staff wellbeing. Meanwhile, Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has been shortlisted for projects focused on improving support for young people experiencing mental health challenges and developing a network of Patient Safety Associates.
Janet Scott, Senior Programme Manager at Health Innovation West of England, said: “Being shortlisted as part of the national Medicines Safety Improvement Programme is fantastic recognition of what can be achieved when organisations work together with patients to improve safety across the healthcare system.
“At Health Innovation West of England, we have been proud to support this work across our region, bringing together clinicians, partners and people with lived experience to improve medicines safety while ensuring patients’ voices remain central to every stage of improvement. The shortlist reflects the power of collaboration and the importance of designing safer systems around the people who use them.
“Congratulations to all of this year’s West of England finalists. Their projects showcase the breadth of innovation, dedication and partnership working taking place across our region to make healthcare safer for everyone.”
As part of Health Innovation West of England’s contribution to the Medicines Safety Improvement Programme, the team has worked closely with people living with chronic pain to better understand their experiences of opioid medicines and pain management while supporting safer, more personalised approaches to care.
The need for this work is significant. Before the programme began, around 13% of adults in England had been prescribed an opioid medicine, with national evidence showing that for every 62 people who stop taking opioids, or do not start them, one opioid-related death can be prevented. The programme set an ambitious national target to reduce harm from high-risk opioid prescribing by 50% by March 2025.
Across the West of England, the programme has already delivered measurable benefits. By supporting a neighbourhood health approach and promoting biopsychosocial self-management of chronic pain, it is estimated that 17 lives have been saved, while 487 people have halved their risk of opioid-related death through reductions in high-dose opioid prescribing.
Alongside improving prescribing safety, the programme has helped build capability across the health system. 155 practitioners have completed training in the ‘Ten footsteps to living well with pain’ programme, with almost one in four (23.4%) participants coming from CORE20 Primary Care Networks, helping to reduce health inequalities. A further 24 practitioners have been trained in group facilitation, enabling six GP practices and Primary Care Networks to establish Pain Cafés and community pain support groups that help people better manage their condition.
Health Innovation West of England has also championed the voices of people living with chronic pain through the publication of its ‘Understanding the Lived Experience of Chronic Pain in the West of England’ report and a series of powerful patient experience videos developed as part of the Medicines Safety Improvement Programme.
Drawing on the experiences of people living with persistent pain, the report highlights the realities of managing chronic pain and navigating opioid medicines, while identifying opportunities to improve communication, shared decision-making and access to non-pharmaceutical support. Among its findings, many participants described feeling unheard during clinical appointments, reported limited awareness of local pain management services, and highlighted how factors such as ethnicity and gender can influence their experiences of care.
Working alongside Bristol Health Partners’ Chronic Pain Health Integration Team and the Diverse Research Engagement Network, Health Innovation West of England also explored the experiences of Black and Brown women living with chronic pain. The findings have helped partners identify practical ways to design more equitable and accessible services, improve signposting to community support, and ensure local pain management initiatives better reflect the diverse communities they serve.
The HSJ Patient Safety Congress and Awards, now in their 19th year, bring together more than 800 healthcare leaders, clinicians, patient safety specialists and people with lived experience to share learning and celebrate excellence in patient safety. Selected shortlisted projects will also present their work during the Innovation Spotlight sessions at the Patient Safety Congress in September, showcasing initiatives that are helping reduce avoidable harm and improve care across the NHS.
The HSJ Patient Safety Congress 2026 is taking place on 28-29 September in Telford, with Award winners being announced on the second day of the Congress. Health Innovation West of England wishes all of this year’s finalists the very best of luck.
West of England finalists
Best Use of Integrated Care and Partnership Working in Patient Safety Award
- NHS England Medicines Safety Improvement Team, Health Innovation Network Patient Safety Collaboratives, NHSBSA, Integrated Care Systems and partners – Creating Safer Systems: How Cross-Sector Partnership Reduce Opioid Harm Nationwide.
Mental Health Safety Improvement Award
- Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust – Experience of Care – Trust Wide Lived Experience Group: From Insight to Impact.
Paediatrics and Children & Young People Safety Initiative of the Year
- Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust – Beyond Admission: A Youth Worker Approach to Holistic Care for Young People with Mental Health in Gloucestershire.
Patient Involvement in Safety Award
- Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust – Experience of Care – Trust Wide Lived Experience Panel.
- NHS England Medicines Safety Improvement Team, Health Innovation Network Patient Safety Collaboratives, NHSBSA, Integrated Care Systems and partners – Creating Safer Systems in Partnership with Patients: Reducing Opioid Harm Nationwide.
Patient Safety Education and Training Award
- Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust – Growing Safety from the Ground Up: Developing a Network of Patient Safety Associates.
Staff Wellbeing Initiative of the Year
- Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust – Supporting Staff, Strengthening Skills: AWP’s Staff Trauma Support Service.
Posted on August 4, 2026
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