Best Provider of Community and Primary Care

Best Provider of Community and Primary Care
Best Provider of Community and Primary Care
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The NHS is shifting more care into community and primary care settings to reduce pressure on hospitals, improve continuity and deliver more personalised support for people with complex or long-term needs. However, capacity remains stretched and local pathways are often fragmented. Independent providers are increasingly helping to close these gaps by delivering services such as home visiting, community-based clinics, case management and extended access in collaboration with general practice and local teams. 

This award is for providers delivering community-based NHS care that improves access, reduces fragmentation and helps people manage their health closer to home. That may include services aligned with neighbourhood teams, urgent community response, step-down care or ongoing support for those at high risk of deterioration. We welcome entries that demonstrate joined up working and a measurable impact for patients.

Eligibility

  • Open to independent healthcare providers delivering community or primary care services free at the point of care to NHS patients. 
  • Projects can be conducted independently or in collaboration with an NHS organisation. While a partnership with the NHS is encouraged, it is not mandatory; however, all projects must serve NHS patients.
  •  Evidence of service delivery and impact must be provided from the past two years up until the awards entry deadline.

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 community or primary care challenge your service addressed and the context for change.
  •  Explain how the approach supports the shift of care from hospital to community.
  • Set out the goals and targets agreed and how success was defined.

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? 

  • Describe how you worked with primary care, community teams, patients and wider NHS partners.
  • Highlight how the service integrated with existing pathways and neighbourhood working.
  • Provide evidence of joint design and shared ownership.

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. 

  • Provide quantifiable evidence of improved access, outcomes or experience for NHS patients. 
  • Share before-and-after data and feedback from patients and clinicians. 
  • Describe improvements in efficiency and value for money.

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. 

  • Explain how the model has been adopted or adapted in other areas or services.
  • Describe how learning has been shared across the NHS.

Sustainability

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

  • Describe how the service is sustained and embedded in ongoing community provision. 
  • Explain how it can be built upon to support wider neighbourhood health ambitions.

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Awards entry enquiries: Support Team
Judging and event management: Awards Support