The finalists for the 2026 Picker Experience Network Awards (PEN Awards) have been announced, which recognises inspiring projects, people and teams making an incredible difference to experiences across the health and social care sector.
Now in their 16th year, the PEN Awards celebrate best practice in patient experience and shine a light on the people and organisations putting person centred care into action. Improving access, tackling inequalities, harnessing patient insight and technology, and embracing co-production and partnership working, this year’s finalists showcase the innovative ways organisations are making a difference to people’s experiences of care.
With finalists selected across 18 categories, this year’s shortlist showcases work from organisations across the UK and internationally, highlighting the many different ways that experience of care can be improved for patients, families, carers and staff.
Explore the full list of PEN Awards 2026 finalists below and find out more about the inspiring work being recognised.
The winners will be announced at the 2026 PEN Awards ceremony, taking place at the University of Birmingham on Thursday, 1st October 2026.
Commissioning for Better Experience of Care
| KGH Patient Experience Excellence Project: Elevating Beneficiary Satisfaction | Khafji General Hospital |
| Familial Hypercholesterolaemia Identification Hub | NHS East Genomics |
Developing the Capability for Person Centred Care
| Practical Nursing Care of the Deceased Person including Last Office: A Best Practice Video Resource | Belfast Health and Social Care Trust |
| Here Health Builders (Lived Experience) | Here |
| Improving patient experience of cancer care: learning from insights shared by people diagnosed with cancer at Southmead Hospital | Bristol NHS Foundation Trust |
| Expanding the reach of reasonable adjustments: The Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire (BNSSG) Cancer Improvement Collaborative | Bristol NHS Foundation Trust |
| Patient Experience Excellence | Reem Hospital |
| A GP Quality Improvement project on the optimisation of patients with hypertension | Ulster University |
| Recognising the People Who Matter Most: A Student-Led Quality Improvement Project to Strengthen Person-Centred Dementia Care | Ulster University |
Digital and Technology Innovation for Experience
| Trust Before Technology: A Practical, Proportionate and Human-Centred AI Governance Pathway | AnalytAIX |
| CardMedic and Stockport NHS Foundation Trust: ending the silent era at the bedside | CardMedic and Stockport NHS Foundation Trust |
| The Alder Hey Virtual Tour: enabling patients to experience the journey of their hospital visit before they arrive, reducing pre-visit anxiety | MediSites360 |
| Improving patient experience of cancer care: learning from insights shared by people diagnosed with cancer at Southmead Hospital | Bristol NHS Foundation Trust |
| From drop in to digitally enabled and how UHCW are meeting maternal vaccination ambitions by removing barriers to access | University Hospitals Coventry & Warwick |
Emerging Good Practice
| Streamlining the Death Certification Process to Improve Bereavement Experience | Belfast Health and Social Care Trust |
| The First Year of the Belfast Community Palliative Care Hub | Belfast Trust |
| Developing a feedback mechanism to understand the experience of patients with limited verbal communication (learning disability inpatient services) | Cheshire & Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust |
| Enhancing Support for Neurodiverse Individuals with Cancer within the Macmillan Information and Support Service | Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust |
| Oncology Menopause Support Group: Transforming Cancer Survivorship Care through Patient-Led Initiative | Royal Devon & Exeter NHS Foundation Trust |
| The introduction of SPaRC (Spiritual, Pastoral and Religious Care) Champions | University Hospital of North Midlands |
| Thrombolysis in Acute Stroke Experience Based Co-design Project | University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust |
| ‘Leicester Maternity Matters’: Improving Access to Information Through Podcasts and Community Engagement Events. | University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust |
| #CallThem | Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust |
Environment of Care
| EnjoyArt | Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust |
| Cygnet Hospital Kewstoke Farm Project | Cygnet Health Care |
| Sensing Spaces of Healthcare at Derby and Burton Hospitals – an innovative new approach to improving the hospital environment to support staff and patients | Derby & Burton Hospitals Charity |
| Lime Music for Health | Lime |
| Transforming the Experience of Critical Care | Mersey and West Lancashire |
Equity in Experience
| National Nephrostomy Framework: Standardised Framework for Best Practice in Nephrostomy Care | Barts Health NHS Trust |
| ˜Born from Experience” co-produced educational films | Cheshire & Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust |
| Safe Hospital programme | Liverpool John Moores University |
| Expanding the reach of reasonable adjustments: The Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire (BNSSG) Cancer Improvement Collaborative | Bristol NHS Foundation Trust |
| Northern Cancer Voices Model | Northern Cancer Voices |
| Health Navigator Project | Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust |
| Bringing Women’s Health Closer to Home: Reducing Inequalities Across Southport and Formby | Southport and Formby Health |
Excellence in Personalised Care
| Midwifery Led Antenatal and Delivery Service, and Maternity Outpatients | HCA Healthcare UK |
| Expanding the reach of reasonable adjustments: The Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire (BNSSG) Cancer Improvement Collaborative | Bristol NHS Foundation Trust |
| ‘When Someone Dies’ Supporting People with Learning Disabilities Through Bereavement | Northern Health and Social Care Trust |
| Putting Residents First: Personalised Care at Scale in Southport and Formby Care Homes | Southport and Formby Health |
| Implementation and Evaluation of Transitional Care for newborn babies at RDUH – reducing separation, improving outcomes | The Royal Devon University Foundation NHS Trust |
| Calm Connections Clinic | The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust & Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust |
| #CallMe | Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust |
From Insight to Impact
| Patient Conversations and Walk & Talk | Bristol NHS Foundation Trust |
| Expanding the reach of reasonable adjustments: The Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire (BNSSG) Cancer Improvement Collaborative | Bristol NHS Foundation Trust |
| From Lived Experience to System Action: Tackling Financial Barriers to Cancer Care Through ‘Treat, Heat or Eat’ | Northern Cancer Voices |
| Transforming Patient Experience Through Real Time Feedback | Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust |
| Adult Protection Engagement Platform | Patient and Client Council |
| Patient Experience Excellence | Reem Hospital |
| You Said, We Did: Working together to improve the research experience | Royal Devon & Exeter NHS Foundation Trust |
| From Patient Voices to Measurable Change in Vascular Surgery: The PREMIERE Project | South East Wales Vascular Network (SEWVN) |
| Living with Cancer Initiative | South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust |
Independent Excellence in Experience of Care
| From Feedback Collection to Patient Experience Intelligence | Charter Medical Private Hospital |
| Cygnet Health Care | Cygnet Health Care |
| Patient Voice Project- Qualitative research, patient guide creation & published article | Flen Health |
| Midwifery Led Antenatal and Delivery Service, and Maternity Outpatients | HCA Healthcare UK |
| Walk Out Happy – Transforming the VeinCentre Patient Experience | VeinCentre |
International Excellence in Experience of Care
| Enhancing patient experiement and care coordination in Abqaiq General Hospital- Emergency department | Abqaiq General Hospital |
| From Patient Voice to System-wide Transformation: Improving Discharge Communication Through the Post-discharge Information Summary (PDIS) | Centre of Health Systems & Policy Research, JC School of Public Health & Primary Care, The Chinese University of Hong Kong |
| DALEEL Evidence-to-Practice Accelerator, Transforming Research Evidence into Better Patient Care | Eastern Health Cluster – Allied Health Professional Development |
| The Capability-to-Care Transformation Framework A Governance Model Transforming Workforce Capability into Measurable Patient Outcomes | Eastern Health Cluster – Allied Health Professional Development |
| KGH Patient Experience Excellence Project: Elevating Beneficiary Satisfaction | Khafji General Hospital |
| Patient Experience Excellence | Reem Hospital |
Joined-Up Care Experience
| National Nephrostomy Framework: Standardised Framework for Best Practice in Nephrostomy Care | Barts Health NHS Trust |
| Belfast Community Palliative Care Hub | Belfast Trust |
| Implementing Patient Centred Care in Clinical Homecare | Personal Homecare Pharmacy |
| Care Without Conveyance: Bringing Emergency Department Decision-Making to Patients | The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust & Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust |
| Frailty Without Boundaries: One System, One Team, One Journey | The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust & Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust |
| A streamline approach to providing integrated quality care for children and families who have experienced sexual abuse through the Lighthouse Service. | UCLH – The Lighthouse Service |
Leadership and Governance for Experience Excellence
| The Capability-to-Care Transformation Framework A Governance Model Transforming Workforce Capability into Measurable Patient Outcomes | Eastern Health Cluster – Allied Health Professional Development |
| Quality Café © Initiative: A Step Closer to Positive Patient Safety Culture | Global Initiative |
| Making Experience Everyone’s Business: Transforming How NSFT Listens, Learns and Leads | Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust |
| Improving patient experience of cancer care: learning from insights shared by people diagnosed with cancer at Southmead Hospital | Bristol NHS Foundation Trust |
| From Feedback to Boardroom: Embedding Patient Experience at the Heart of Organisational Governance | The Royal Devon University Foundation NHS Trust |
Long Term Improvement in Experience of Care
| Volunteer to Career Programme at Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust | Cheshire & Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust |
| Patient Conversations and Walk & Talk | Bristol NHS Foundation Trust |
| Northern Cancer Voices Model | Northern Cancer Voices |
| Adult Protection Engagement Platform | Patient and Client Council |
| A streamline approach to providing integrated quality care for children and families who have experienced sexual abuse through the Lighthouse Service. | UCLH – The Lighthouse Service |
| Little Voices: From Award Winner to Lasting Legacy | Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust |
Outstanding Contribution to Volunteering, Including Patient, Carer or Community Recognition
| Royal Belfast Hospital – Recognising the work of Rose | Belfast Health and Social Care Trust |
| Pathways App – Recgnising the work of Shuayb | East London NHS Foundation Trust |
| Psychosis United – Recognising the work of Erin | Essex Partnership University Trust |
| Psychosis United – Recognising the work of Mike | Essex Partnership University Trust |
| Lived experience global Locked In Syndrome advocacy – Kate Allat | Kate Allatt Speaker & advocacy |
| Phil Tearle – An outstanding contribution to volunteering | Royal Devon & Exeter NHS Foundation Trust |
| Giving a Voice to People Living with Trigeminal Neuralgia and Facial Pain – Aneeta Prem MBE JP | Trigeminal Neuralgia Association UK |
Partnership Working
| Say Hello in Any Language | Gloucestershire Hospital NHS Foundation Trust |
| Sounds of the Soul 2025 & The Sangeet Memory Box 2026 – bringing memory, culture and connection back through music. | Gloucestershire Hospital NHS Foundation Trust |
| King’s Patient and carer partnership Framework for Quality Improvement | Kings College Hospital |
| Creating a Legacy for Amber | Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust |
| Powered by Partnership: Delivering England’s First Fully Digital PrEP Pathway | Preventx & The Love Tank CIC |
| RCPCH Engagement Standards | Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health |
| My Transfusion: Co-producing a patient-led digital resource for safer, more informed blood transfusion care | Serious Hazards of Transfusion |
| Living with Cancer Initiative | South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust |
Patient Involvement in Patient Safety in Partnership with Patient Safety Learning
| National Nephrostomy Framework: Standardised Framework for Best Practice in Nephrostomy Care | Barts Health NHS Trust |
| Transforming Surgical Safety Through Trust Wide Digital Consent | Concentric Health |
| Transforming the Musculoskeletal Patient Journey: A personalised dry needling service that reduced visits, improved access and enhanced recovery | Eastern Health Cluster – Allied Health Professional Development |
| Quality Café © Initiative: A Step Closer to Positive Patient Safety Culture | Global Initiative |
| That One Person | Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Teaching Trust |
| My Transfusion: Co-producing a patient-led digital resource for safer, more informed blood transfusion care | Serious Hazards of Transfusion |
Staff Experience and Wellbeing
| Nutritional Standards in Health and Social Care. | Belfast Health and Social Care Trust |
| Nursing Olympics | Global Initiative |
| Improving Culture at NSFT | Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust |
| Delivering pastural support and structured education to Cancer Support Workers: improving wellbeing and personal achievements | Royal Devon & Exeter NHS Foundation Trust |
| You Said, We Did: Co-Creating a Thriving Workforce | Southport and Formby Health |
Support Operations Excellence in Improving Experience
| How Catering Innovation and Cross-Departmental Working Have Improved the Experience of Patients with Dysphagia | Belfast Health and Social Care Trust |
| Streamlining the Death Certification Process to Improve Bereavement Experience | Belfast Health and Social Care Trust |
| Nutritional Standards in Health and Social Care. | Belfast Health and Social Care Trust |
| Ending the silent era at the bedside | CardMedic & Stockport NHS Foundation Trust |
| Improving patient experience of cancer care: learning from insights shared by people diagnosed with cancer at Southmead Hospital | Bristol NHS Foundation Trust |
Teams Making a Difference to Experience
| National Nephrostomy Framework: Standardised Framework for Best Practice in Nephrostomy Care | Barts Health NHS Trust |
| Complaints Team | Cygnet Health Care |
| Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer – improving pathways and patient experience in a nurse led clinic | Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust |
| In Your Shoes Listening Events | Manx Care |
| PEPI Team | NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde |
| Patient Voice Team – Driving Meaningful Change Through Partnership, Insight and Co-Production | The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust & Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust |
| The Golden Thread: One Team Improving Experience Across Two Trusts | Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust |