Winners of the PatientsVoices@RCoA Award 2026

The PatientsVoices@RCoA Award recognises innovative projects and initiatives which have made a tangible improvement to patients’ experience of anaesthesia and perioperative care. The award is designed and managed by members of PatientsVoices@RCoA, a group of diverse people who support, advise and influence the College by providing patients’ perspectives on its activities. 

Below are the winners for 2026. The awards were presented by Jenny Westaway, Chair of PatientsVoices@RCoA, and Dr Claire Shannon, President of the RCoA, at the College's Annual Dinner, held in Brighton on 13 May 2026.

Gold Award

NHS Tayside
Creation of a novel motivational rehabilitation service for emergency laparotomy patients

Patients recovering from emergency laparotomy face long hospital stays and limited opportunities for mobilisation. To support them better, NHS Tayside developed an innovative rehabilitation service. Dedicated healthcare support workers provide seven‑day motivational, physical and cognitive support, creating a structured, patient‑centred approach to recovery. Daily personalised exercise plans, goal‑setting, and activities to reduce boredom help patients engage with movement and maintain their wellbeing. This service ensures consistent, compassionate support that responds to what matters to each patient, improving both experience and outcomes.

Silver Award

Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals
Regenerating pre‑operative assessment: delivering a digital solution

This project transformed pre‑operative assessment within an overstretched service by introducing a digitally enabled pre‑screening system that gives earlier oversight of the waiting list. Co‑produced with patients and carers, the Digital Pre‑Operative Assessment enables timely identification of risk factors, appropriate triage and early optimisation without delaying surgery. By improving efficiency, reducing late cancellations and supporting staff capacity, the initiative has strengthened patient safety and experience while turning waiting lists into active preparation lists for surgery.

Bronze Award

Guy's & St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust
Developing a patient first early screening tool and process in perioperative care

This innovative initiative reimagines when and how perioperative risk is identified by moving complexity screening upstream, before traditional pre‑operative assessment often begins. Co‑designed with patients, carers and clinical teams, the digital screening tool enables early stratification, shared decision‑making and timely optimisation for those with higher needs, while fast‑tracking low‑risk patients. Designed for scale and independently evaluated, the pathway reduces avoidable cancellations, improves equity and experience, and offers a transferable, system‑level model for safer, more patient‑centred perioperative care.
 

PatientsVoices@RCoA also considered the following projects for the 2026 awards: