Double win at national patient experience awards
Barts Health has scooped two prestigious prizes at the 2025 PENNA (Patient Experience Network National Awards), recognising our commitment to compassion and equity.
At yesterday’s ceremony (2 October), the Trust took home awards for:
- Support for caregivers, friends and families – Co-designing compassion: inclusive feedback that drives change
- Engaging the public – Health Equity Action Leadership (HEAL) Project: a people-powered approach to transforming health equity
These wins shine a light on two very different but equally powerful ways of improving care — by listening to bereaved families and by working hand-in-hand with our local communities.
Co-designing compassion
Every year, Barts Health supports thousands of families through bereavement. Our award-winning Co-designing compassion project makes sure those families have their voices heard through a carefully designed carers’ survey. Created with bereaved carers, staff, and patient groups, the survey is inclusive, sensitive and easy to use. It has already led to real improvements — from better communication training for staff, to changes in how belongings are returned, and clearer guidance about the coroner process. Families have told us the chance to share their experience feels healing and impactful. Hanan L'Estrange-Snowden, head of hospital patient engagement and bereavement lead Rosamund Butterfield, commented:
"This is not only a technical tool but a cultural one. It normalises honest compassionate feedback and ensures that lessons are learned from every ever patient, event after death."
HEAL: a people-powered approach
Our Health Equity Action Leadership (HEAL) Project, run in partnership with TELCO, empowers local community leaders to become “HEAL champions”. These champions build health literacy, run listening events, and act as a bridge between residents and Barts Health. The project has transformed confidence and trust: every HEAL champion now feels equipped to advocate for their community and support people to navigate healthcare. By feeding lived experience directly back into the Trust, the project is shaping services that are more accessible and equitable for everyone.
Averil Pooten Watan, HEAL champion, explained:
“The HEAL training was incredibly empowering. It provided us with simple yet essential information on navigating Barts Health from the perspective of both a patient and a visitor, information that was entirely new to me. This is crucial because it allows HEAL Champions to correct misunderstandings and share vital resources and information that, despite being readily available, remain largely unknown to people. Grasping this information is key to better managing our health. Furthermore, the HEAL training empowers leaders to advocate effectively for themselves or others.”
A moment of pride
Beth Brown, director of patient experience and community engagement, said:
“These awards celebrate the heart of what we do — listening with compassion and working alongside the people we serve. We are proud of everyone involved in these projects, and of the difference they are making for families and communities across East London.”
Read more