Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust is in the running for a top national award for its work to improve the Trust’s culture, leadership and inclusion through its innovative, staff-led Our Future Our Way programme.

The Trust, which provides community and mental health services for all ages across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland (LLR), was announced as a finalist in the Staff Wellbeing Award category for the HSJ Awards 2025 in August.

Over the last three years, the Our Future Our Way programme has delivered a range of initiatives, that were created by and alongside staff members, and which helped to achieve significant improvements in the Trust’s annual staff survey results – resulting in LPT being the second most improved NHS Trust nationally in 2024.

The programme is led by a group of around 90 change leaders, who are staff members from various roles and backgrounds who signed up to help make cultural improvements. They focused on developing a range of solutions to problems raised by staff through the annual staff survey, while also seeking to improve the health, wellbeing and experience of the Trust’s workforce. This included:

  • launching support for new starters, including a ‘First 90 Days’ toolkit and induction buddy scheme
  • developing a new online form to make it easier for staff to update their account details and better connect with colleagues
  • co-producing a definition of what it means to be psychologically safe while working at LPT, which was launched through leadership conferences and masterclasses
  • and improving staff health and welling spaces and team wellbeing support, using charitable donations from the Trust’s charity, Raising Health. This was also while promoting new and existing guidance and support at health and wellbeing roadshows at dozens of locations and sites across the Trust’s estate.

Sarah Willis, executive director of human resources and organisational development at Leicestershire partnership NHS Trust, said: “I’m delighted that we’ve been shortlisted for this award. It’s widely recognised that staff wellbeing is closely linked to the quality of care that patients receive, which is why we’re committed to creating an environment where both our staff and patients can thrive.

“Our change leaders, working alongside subject matter experts, have dedicated themselves to fostering a healthy and supportive workplace culture. Their efforts have significantly strengthened staff engagement and leadership development, contributing to improved wellbeing and retention across our workforce.

“We’ve seen clear, measurable outcomes from this programme. More staff than ever are recommending LPT as a great place to work and receive care, as reflected in the annual NHS Staff Survey and our positive PLACE (Patient-Led Assessments of the Care Environment) results. We’re excited to continue building on this success, integrating the programme with other Trust initiatives and sharing our learning with healthcare partners across the system.”

The HSJ Awards celebrate and recognise healthcare excellence across the UK. This year the awards saw more than 1,250 entries submitted, with only 245 projects and individuals making it through to the final shortlist. Winners will be announced at a ceremony held on Thursday 20 November 2025 in London.

For more information about the HSJ Awards, including the full shortlist,  please visit: https://awards.hsj.co.uk/