National win for East Midlands CAMHS Collaborative at first NHS Excellence Awards
We are thrilled to share that The East Midlands Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) Provider Collaborative has been named the national at the inaugural NHS Excellence Awards.
The Collaborative saw off competition from six other regional winners to pick up the Improving Health Outcomes award at a ceremony in Manchester on Wednesday 10 June. The success shines a spotlight on the Collaborative's outstanding impact and dedication to supporting young people's mental health throughout the region.
Led by Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (NHFT), the East Midlands CAMHS Collaborative brings together NHS and charity partners to deliver community and inpatient services that support the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people across the region. By working collectively in close partnership with service users and their families, the Collaborative has transformed community-based CAMHS services to ensure more young people can get the care and support they need closer to home - and reducing the need for them to be admitted to hospital for specialist care.
Since its launch in April 2021, the Collaborative's work has delivered the following improvements:
- Inpatient admissions have reduced by 61%, meaning fewer young people need hospital care
- Average length of stay is 80% lower, meaning more young people can return home and continue their daily lives sooner
- Referral to admission waits have fallen by 85%, ensuring young people who do need inpatient care are able to do so quicker
- Average distance from home to inpatient care is now 12% shorter, meaning more young people stay closer to family and community networks
Dr Sachin Sankar, Clinical Lead for the East Midlands CAMHS Collaborative, said:
This award is recognition for what is possible when organisations come together with a shared purpose: to deliver the very best care for children and young people with mental health needs. Everybody involved in CAMHS throughout the region has played their part in this success - not least our service users and their families. Together we are committed to build on what we have achieved so far to continue to improve outcomes and experiences for our young people.
Simon Harris, Director of New Care Models for the East Midlands CAMHS Collaborative said:
This national win is an incredible honour. It reflects the hard work, passion and commitment and of every colleague across the Collaborative who strives to improve care for children, young people and their families every day. We are immensely proud of what we have achieved together and we look forward to continuing to strengthen our services to deliver the best possible support for those who need it.
The NHS Excellence Awards are the only awards run by, and for, the NHS. They recognise, celebrate and share innovative work taking place across health and care. The awards shine a light on local teams, projects and individuals who are driving improvements, with the aim of sharing learning and inspiring others to adopt successful approaches in their own areas.
More than 2,500 entries were submitted for the awards nationwide across 10 categories. Each entry was reviewed by a judging panel with seven regional winners going forward to the finals ceremony. The East Midlands CAMHS Collaborative was one of 10 overall national winners named on the night.
This latest success for the East Midlands CAMHS Collaborative comes after it was named Provider Collaboration of the Year at the prestigious Health Service Journal Awards in November 2025.