HPMA partnership working award
Learn about the 2026 HPMA Excellence in People Award for partnership working between employers and trade unions.
For the seventeenth year, we are proud to sponsor this award celebrating joint work between employers and trade unions to support NHS staff in their delivery of healthcare services.
2026 Shortlist announced
A big thank you to everyone who took the time to submit an entry for this year's award. We are pleased to announce the shortlist:
- NHS 24 - for its approach to implementing a reduced working week.
- Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust - for how it went about transitioning soft facilities management colleagues to Agenda for Change terms and conditions.
- North East Ambulance Trust - for work to redesign shift patterns.
- University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust - for the trust's campaign to tackle bullying and harassment.
The winner will be announced at the HPMA awards ceremony, held on 12 November, the evening of the first day of the 2026 national HPMA conference.
Celebrating our 2025 winner and finalists
Read case studies from last year’s HPMA partnership award winner and runners up:
- Boosting wellbeing and attendance in partnership - winner of the 2025 award, employers and trade union colleagues from across the North West rigorously co-developed a new wellbeing and attendance policy, which was then implemented in partnership.
- A partnership approach to embedding sexual safety - shortlisted for successful partnership working to embed sexual safety among staff.
- Delivering real change and improvements in South Yorkshire - shortlisted for delivering real change and improvements for the workforce in South Yorkshire.