Mental Health Innovation of the Year

Mental Health Innovation of the Year
Mental Health Innovation of the Year
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With mental health services facing record demand, rising emergency referrals, and ongoing workforce challenges, the need for new approaches has never been greater. The Mental Health Act 2025 received Royal Assent in December 2025, marking the most significant reform of mental health legislation in over 40 years, though the majority of its provisions are still without an implementation date, reflecting the substantial system change required to deliver its ambitions. With reforms set to roll out gradually, and a broader shift underway from hospital to community based care, frontline innovation is more essential than ever in delivering real change.

This award recognises the teams and organisations leading the way in improving mental health services, empowering service users, engaging communities, and tackling stigma. Judges will be looking for initiatives that are driving meaningful improvements in access, experience, and outcomes, ensuring that those in need receive high-quality, person-centred care.

Eligibility

This award is open to all NHS and public sector organisations, teams and services delivering positive outcomes for mental health patients.

Ambition

The challenge and context within which your project, person or organisation is set alongside your goals and targets whether quantitative or qualitative, and how this aligns with national priorities.

  • Describe the challenge your innovation was designed to address and the context in which it arose, including how it aligns with national priorities.
  • What was your vision, and what made it new or distinct from existing best practice?
  • How were solutions researched, tested and refined, and what measures were put in place to assess effectiveness?

Collaboration

The stakeholders' involvement in co-designing and delivering the project. How have patients, staff at all levels, communities and other parties worked together to realise the outcomes?

  • How were patients, service users, carers and communities meaningfully involved in shaping the innovation?
  • Provide evidence of how staff across different roles and organisations contributed to co-designing and delivering the work, including any partnerships with social care, VCSE organisations or wider system partners.
  • How did this collaborative approach influence the outcomes achieved?

Impact

The measurable benefits delivered to patients, staff, your organisation or the wider system. Provide data and evidence showing improvements to outcomes, quality, access, equity or efficiency.

  • How has this innovation led to improved patient outcomes, experience, access, equity or efficiency? Include quantitative and qualitative data, where possible patient or carer testimonials.
  • What measurable difference has this made to staff and the wider organisation?
  • Provide supporting evidence and data to demonstrate the scale and significance of improvements.

Scale

How your work has been shared, adopted or replicated beyond your immediate team or organisation. This includes dissemination through publications, presentations, toolkits, partnerships or inspiring similar initiatives elsewhere.

  • How has learning been shared beyond your immediate team or organisation, for example through publications, conferences, toolkits or national networks?
  • What partnerships have been formed or similar initiatives inspired as a result of your work?
  • What evidence is there that this innovation has potential for wider adoption across the system?

Sustainability

The potential for the project/work to continue and create lasting impact. Evidence of how it can be sustained or built upon.

  • How is the innovation being embedded into business as usual, and what funding or resource is in place to support its continuation?
  • What evidence is there that this work can be built upon, adapted or replicated by others?
  • How does this innovation contribute to lasting systemic improvement, including reducing inequalities and improving parity of esteem?

To find out more

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