News

North London NHS Foundation Trust has won two national awards for pioneering children and young people's mental health services at this year’s HSJ Patient Safety Awards.  

The two HSJ Patient Safety Awards won by the Trust, announced on 15 September 2025 at an awards ceremony in Manchester are:  

• Improving Health Outcomes for Minority Ethnic Communities - recognising our project that enhanced equitable access to mental health services for children and young people across North London. 
• Patient Involvement in Safety Award – celebrating the empowering young voices at the heart of our children and young people’s mental health services. 

The HSJ Patient Safety Awards are among the most respected accolades in the healthcare community, celebrating teams and organisations that go above and beyond to protect patients and improve safety standards. This year, the Awards received 456 entries, with 216 projects shortlisted, and just 25 winners selected by a panel of expert judges. 

Ben Mensah, Managing Director of our Children and Young People’s Services, said:  

“These awards recognise the dedication and hard work of our teams who put young people and patients at the centre of everything we do. By empowering young people’s voices and improving access for minority ethnic communities, we are making mental health services safer, fairer, and more inclusive for everyone." 

Breaking down barriers to care 

The award-winning Improving Health Outcomes for Minority Ethnic Communities project was launched by our Children and Young People’s Community Engagement Team in 2023. The initiative was created in response to significant health inequalities, with young people from minority ethnic backgrounds often facing stigma and limited access to support. 

By building partnerships with faith groups and community leaders, delivering mental health education in trusted spaces, and setting up local Wellbeing Hubs, the project has successfully opened doors to services for communities who had previously been underserved. 

Since launching, the project has led to a marked rise in referrals from minority ethnic families, supporting earlier intervention and building greater trust in mental health services. 

One parent said: “For the first time, I feel like my community is being heard. The stigma around mental health is fading because we are having real conversations in our places of worship.”  

Empowering young voices 

Our Empowering Young Voices: The Heart of Our CYP Services project – winner of the Patient Involvement in Safety Award – has transformed how children and young people shape the services they use. 

After young people told us they wanted a greater say in their care, we created a dedicated Co-production Team to embed their voices in every part of our services. Young people and carers now co-design services, sit on decision-making panels, and directly influence improvements in care and safety. 

This approach has built stronger relationships, improved trust, and made services more responsive to real needs. 

 

Now in its 15th year, the HSJ Patient Safety Awards shine a spotlight on organisations driving forward patient safety and fostering a culture of continuous improvement across the NHS and independent healthcare providers. 

HSJ Editor Alastair McLellan said:

“The HSJ Patient Safety Awards are a vital platform for celebrating the efforts of healthcare staff who continually strive to reduce risk and protect patients. This year’s winners have shown remarkable innovation, resilience, and commitment to improving outcomes for patients, and they should be incredibly proud of their achievements.” 

Find out more and see the full list of this year's winners.