We are pleased to announce that three of our services have been shortlisted for the NHS Parliamentary Awards 2024. Change Talks has been shortlisted for the Excellence in Healthcare Award, Pennine Specialist Perinatal Community Mental Health Team has also been shortlisted for Excellence in Healthcare and our Initial Response Service is in the running for the Future NHS Award.
The NHS Parliamentary Awards were created in 2018 to celebrate and recognise the outstanding contribution of staff, volunteers and others working in the health and care sector. In the first stage of the awards, MPs nominate healthcare teams and individuals in their local area to highlight their exceptional commitment and achievements working in and with the NHS.
Our services going forward to the final round of the awards is a particular achievement this year, with 318 MPs across England putting forward 918 nominations – a far greater number than in any previous year. LSCft is grateful to Tim Farron MP, Sir Lindsay Hoyle MP and Sarah Smith MP for recognising our team’s contribution to their local areas.
Change Talks has significantly improved the mental health and wellbeing of young people through its targeted programmes in schools and businesses. Change Talks has reached over 100,000 young individuals aged 5-21 and engaged 4,000 parents and carers through webinars. In high schools and colleges, emotional wellbeing scores have risen, with more young men coming forward to discuss their struggles. Almost all participants reported learning something new and improving their coping skills and mental health knowledge. Notably, there has been a reduction in self-harm referrals and instances where Change Talks intervened to prevent suicidal thoughts or actions.
Sam Tyrer, Head of Change Talks, said:
"I am absolutely delighted that Change Talks has been shortlisted for an NHS Parliamentary Award. This recognition is a testament to the hard work, dedication, and passion of everyone involved in the service.
Change Talks aims to create a lasting impact by addressing critical issues around mental health and well-being, and being considered for such a prestigious honour highlights the importance of our mission. We are proud to be part of a service that is making a real difference in people's lives, and this nomination further motivates us to continue our work in creating positive change across our communities."
Our Pennine Specialist Perinatal Community Mental Health Team was acknowledged for seeing over 750 women in 23/24 against an NHS set target of 510 displaying the over achievement of the team, always working hard to increase the awareness of perinatal mental health problems between other professionals and families. The team receive numerous compliments each week and endeavour to reach as many people as possible, with some team members utilising their multilingual skills in order to further encourage those in the BAME community to engage, adding a further layer to the support provided that is not a generic service offer.
Lauren Morton, Seconded Team Leader for Specialist Perinatal Community Mental Health Team, said:
"We are very proud to have been nominated for this national award. We are pleased that all the hard work and determination of the whole team is being recognised on a national stage. Thank you very much to our MP who acknowledged the benefit of our service to the women and families we support on a daily basis."
Amongst the successes of our Initial Response Service, which supports people in time of crisis, mental health A&E attendances have fallen by 8% across Pennine and Central Lancashire. The average response time to telephone calls is under 15 seconds and all referrals are triaged within one hour. The time between referral to contact with a clinician has reduced from an average 28 days model to a matter of hours.
Phil Horner, Deputy Chief Strategy and Improvement Officer, said:
"The Central Lancashire Initial Response Service has used digital technology to enable the team to respond to a 20% increase in the number of people asking for help with their mental health, and the service is making sure that people who need urgent support get it quickly. This would not be possible without the hard work and compassionate care delivered by the team, so I am delighted to see their dedication and efforts recognised by Sir Lindsay Hoyle’s nomination of the team for the NHS Parliamentary Awards."
There are ten award categories this year which cover innovation and exceptional care right across the breadth of healthcare services.
A panel of national judges – made up of notable figures across the healthcare sector – will now come together to select the winners of this year’s awards. These winners will be announced at the awards ceremony taking place on Monday 14 October 2024 – when healthcare leaders, finalists and MPs will come together to celebrate the immense contribution which healthcare staff make to the NHS.
