Cornwall and Isles of Scilly take gold for ‘Excellence in Healthcare’ at the NHS Parliamentary Awards

The ground-breaking work of health, care and community services in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly have been recognised with a national win at the NHS Parliamentary Awards.

The ceremony in London highlighted the collaborative approach across the local integrated care system, which sees NHS and social care teams work with community and voluntary partners, at scale, to support residents.

Nominees were able to show “individuals or teams who go above and beyond to improve outcomes and experiences for patients living with and beyond these major health conditions or work to prevent them.”

The national awards are organised by NHS England, with nominations invited from all English MPs.

John Govett, Chair of NHS Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Integrated Care Board said: “I am incredibly proud of our collaborative work here in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly and delighted that it is receiving the national recognition it so richly deserves. We will continue working together as one system to increase our support for people to have the care they need in the comfort and safety of their own homes.”

Kate Shields, Chief Executive Officer, NHS Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Integrated Care Board said: “I am absolutely delighted and proud of our win in the 'Excellence in Healthcare’ Parliamentary Award which celebrates the collaborative approach between NHS, social care teams, community and voluntary partners and provides well deserved recognition for the amazing teams who put local people’s needs at the heart of the services they deliver every day. 

“We are committed to making personalised care the universal model for how we provide health and care services across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, and I look forward to seeing this award-winning approach flourish across our work in the future.”

Among the partners involved in this work are disAbility Cornwall and Isles of Scilly, Home First, Age UK Cornwall, Volunteer Cornwall, CHAOS Group, Pentreath and Humans Cornwall, Short Term Enablement and Planning Services (STEPS), Cornwall Voluntary Sector Forum (CVSF) and NHS Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Integrated Care Board.

Together they are helping people to stay independent in their own homes by providing support that avoids hospital admission or enables earlier discharge. This includes:

• the Community Gateway helpline; which took 48,000 calls and provided 7,000 personal support plans over 1 year, and is open 365 days a year
• the network of more than 50 community hubs; which has supported roughly 1 in 4 people in Cornwall
• Penhallow ‘Home from Home’; which offers step down care for people leaving hospital
• The Home Together Reablement Collaborative; which supports 56 people a week to leave hospital

Ian Jones MBE, Chief Executive, Volunteer Cornwall said: “To win the national NHS Parliamentary Award is incredible. The work in Cornwall by teams across the public and voluntary sector is starting to be truly transformative. We are working together to meet people’s needs and to support their aspirations. The task now is to keep this change and improvement going.”

Emma Rowse, Chief Executive, Cornwall Voluntary Sector Forum said: “This award is a testament to the power of collaboration. As a voluntary and community sector, we know we’re able to deliver the best services when we work together and that also means working in partnership with our commissioners.”

Jane Johnson MBE, Chief Executive, disAbility Cornwall and Isles of Scilly added: “We are thrilled with the recognition for this incredible programme of work, which sees providers transcending boundaries to align their services for seamless provision, ensuring people receive the right support, in the right place and at the right time.

“This collaborative spirit is delivering high-quality wraparound care, leveraging a wide range of resources to address and overcome the root causes of inequalities.”

Local residents who have been helped by these services include James, who was helped with transport to appointments following a stroke, Margaret, who had food shopping after her hospital stay, and Bill, who was introduced to his local community hub after the loss of his wife.

When Cornwall and Isles of Scilly won the regional award earlier this year, the judges said “This shows the huge potential of integrating community support into health and care services. A model that could potentially be emulated across the country.”

They commented on “a terrific example of what can be achieved by working with more than 60 voluntary organisations to make a real difference to people across Cornwall” and noted that “tens of thousands have been helped to stay well and to get home quicker after hospital treatment.”