HSJ Value Awards

The CONNECT service receives High Commendation at the HSJ Value Awards

On Thursday 23 May, representatives from the CONNECT team were at the Health Service Journal (HSJ) Value Awards in Manchester where the service received High Commendation in the Mental Health Services category. The HSJ Value Awards recognised 20 winning projects and 20 highly commended projects from across the whole Health Sector in an evening that was hosted by comedian, Tom Allen.

CONNECT: The West Yorkshire & Harrogate Adult Eating Disorders Service was first established in April 2018, as a national New Care Model pilot. It provides treatment for adults with eating disorders across the West Yorkshire and Harrogate region. The service was acknowledged due to its fantastic achievements over the last 13 months. These achievements include:

  • Successful delivery of a new, regional clinical model and specialist care pathway accessible to adults with an Eating Disorder across the West Yorkshire & Harrogate footprint (where specialist provision was previously variable and in some places non-existent)
  • The active involvement of service users and partners in the development of the service model
  • The return of all people placed in out-of-area placements, and no new out of-area placements during the first year
  • A 24% reduction in hospital bed days, with people receiving treatment in the community
  • £987k savings accrued in the first year, allowing additional investment into the CONNECT service

Andy Weir, Deputy Chief Operating Officer (and a mental health nurse), said;

“We are extremely proud that the CONNECT service received a High Commendation within the Mental Health Services category at this year’s HSJ Value Awards, recognising the vast amount of work that went into the development of the service and the partnership approach taken. The teams of staff within the CONNECT service deserve the recognition for the fantastic work that they have been doing over the last year to develop and deliver the service, and I have no doubt that they will continue to deliver great outcomes in the future”.

Dawn Hanwell, Chief Financial Officer and Deputy Chief Executive, said;

“I’m so pleased that our staff involved with the CONNECT service have had their fantastic achievements recognised on a national stage by the HSJ awards. We at Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust are extremely proud of the commitment to deliver such an important service, and in particular in the way this has been done in partnership with service users and other Trusts. The CONNECT service, as one of the national pilot New Models of Care, continues to make a significant difference to adults with eating disorders and their families in West Yorkshire and Harrogate”.

More information about the HSJ Value Awards and a full list of winners can be found here – HSJ Value Awards.

More information about the CONNECT Service can be found here – CONNECT: The West Yorkshire & Harrogate Adult Eating Disorders Service.