The Health and Social Care Awards have an established eight-year history and are an unparalleled opportunity to highlight and celebrate innovation and excellence in the provision of frontline social care and health. They are the flagship event for the Department of Health and are run in partnership with the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement.

Applications for the Awards close midnight 6 March 2009. If you know of any teams in social care or health that should be rewarded for their work, please tell them to apply online at www.healthandsocialcareawards.org.uk

About the Awards

The Health and Social Care Awards are open to anyone working throughout the NHS, social services, the voluntary, charity and independent sectors in England. They are run at both a regional and national level.  This gives the greatest opportunity for applicants to showcase their work and gain recognition for their achievements.  

There is a Regional Awards Scheme for each of the 10 Strategic Health Authority regions within England.  Each is run in partnership between the National Health and Social Care Awards team and the regional teams, consisting of members from the relevant Strategic Health Authority and the Social Care, Local Government and Care Partnership.

The Awards have 14 categories this year, with NHS Live being judged at national level only. The People’s Award for Dignity in Care is the only award that is open to the public as well as professionals in health and social care. All of the regional awards ceremonies will be held locally in May 2009.   

The regional winners will undergo a rigorous judging process by a national panel of experts in the fields of quality, improvement and innovation, headed by David Nicholson, NHS Chief Executive. The panel will select 2 national finalists and a national winner for each of the 14 award categories.

The judging will culminate in a high profile national awards ceremony for all national finalists in London in July 2009.

For further information or to request materials to promote the Awards, please call 0870 000 1100 or visit www.healthandsocialcareawards.org.uk