HSJ Awards 2024 - Clinical Leader of the Year
Clinical Leader of the Year

How to apply

Entries have now closed

Clinical leaders are inspiring. They show us how things should be done, they challenge us and they make us want to follow them. For clinical leaders, “good enough” is never enough. They listen to and empathise with their patients and put them at the centre of all they do. They are systematic and use clinical evidence to underpin change. They support their teams to innovate, are willing to try out new ideas and are constantly learning from the impact such ideas have. Clinical leaders are fundamental to improving patient safety and experience, to integrating services and transforming care pathways, to creating a culture where compassion is highly valued and where patients come first.

Eligibility

This award recognises exceptional NHS clinical leaders – doctors, nurses, midwives, allied health professionals, advanced practitioners and others – who are out there making a difference to patients’ lives. Any NHS clinician, regardless of management responsibility or pay band, is eligible for nomination.

Ambition

  • Describe how the nominee has created a clear, ambitious and well-reasoned vision for his or her organisation/department/team.
  • What is that vision? Outline targets set, planning and management.
  • How has the nominee engaged with their colleagues, stakeholder departments, patients and partners with their planning and targets?
  • Judges will be looking for positive vision and initiative in areas such as culture, patient safety, performance, representation and inclusion.

Outcome

  • How has the performance of the team, department or organisation improved as a result of the actions of the clinical leader. This should have a quantitative and qualitative assessment and include measurements against targets outlined above.
  • Judges will be looking for positive outcomes for patients primarily but will also want to see evidence on engagement with staff, a learning and just culture, safety, representation and inclusion. Nominees should also include any relevant positive financial outcomes.
  • Describe how the clinical leader has directly contributed to the delivery of consistently high-quality care. Nominees must provide supporting evidence that care has been delivered at a high standard using qualitative and quantitative information.

Spread

  • How has the individual clearly and directly influenced the behaviour of colleagues, providing supporting information in the form of testimonials from colleagues and patients where appropriate.
  • Describe how the initiatives, processes or behaviours of the clinical leader have positively affected other teams and departments and how best practice learnings are being shared.

Value

  • How has the leadership of the nominee improved the patient experience, staff well-being and satisfaction, the working environment, process or efficiency,
  • Judges will be looking for tangible example of any of the above value-added elements plus any others than the nomination can provide example for.
  • Examples must be provided in the supporting information with written testimonials from patients or staff.

Involvement

  • How has the nominee included others in their initiatives and planning? Judges are specifically looking for staff and patient engagement with supporting evidence.
  • Judges are looking for an individual who has created an inclusive culture in which staff feel able to raise concerns and make suggestions for improvements.
  • Judges will be looking for emphasis on inclusion and support for colleagues in the planning and execution of their initiatives.

To find out more

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