We are delighted to share that at the HSJ Awards 2025, our team and our partners were recognised for two major initiatives that are reshaping healthcare outcomes for children and young people.
It was a night of celebration as we took home the award for Reducing Inequalities and Improving Outcomes for Children and Young People, while also being recognised as a finalist for NHS Communications Initiative of the Year.
While awards such as this are wonderful, the true reward lies in the tangible impact these programmes have on patients and communities. Take a closer look at the work behind these awards below,
Our Winner: Tackling oral health inequalities in North Central London
Winning the ‘Reducing Inequalities and Improving Outcomes for Children and Young People’ award was the North Central London (NCL) Dental Transformation Programme.
Oral health inequalities remain a significant and under-recognised public health concern, with poor dental health disproportionately affecting children in deprived areas. In partnership with the NCL Integrated Care Board (ICB), Whittington Health and the Tottenham Hotspur Foundation, TPHC played a key role in coordinating and delivering a data-driven approach to reverse these trends.
By reinvesting dental underspend into community-led prevention and primary care, the programme delivered brilliant results:
- Prevention in early years: A “Supervised Toothbrushing Programme” co-designed with local dental practices and boroughs, reached over 1,000 children in the most deprived wards.
- Changing habits: The “Giving Up Loving Pop” (GULP) initiative saw children’s preference for water over sugary drinks in schools rise from 51.1% to 79.2%.
- Reducing waiting times: By funding additional weekend clinics and surgical capacity, referrals to secondary care dropped by 85%, and waiting times were cut from 21 to 17 weeks.
This award recognises that when systems work together to put “healthcare on the doorstep”, we can break the cycle of inequality.
In January 2026, the Mayor of London, Sir Sadiq Khan wrote a letter congratulating the team on winning the award:
“This award recognises the remarkable impact of your collaborative work across North Central London ICB, Whittington Health and Transformation Partners in Health and Care. By bringing together expertise, lived experience, and data-driven insights, your programme has made a tangible and meaningful difference for children and young people – particularly those living in some of London’s most deprived communities.
Dental health inequalities are a longstanding challenge in our city and your innovative, codesigned approach has not only addressed these disparities head on but has also set a new standard for what community centred healthcare transformation can achieve.
Thank you for the leadership you have shown and for the positive legacy you are building.”
Learn more about this programme in our Annual Impact Report ‘Hospital to Community’ section.
Our Finalist: Navigating complex change in children’s cancer services
We are equally proud to have been finalists for the ‘NHS Communications Initiative of the Year’ award, with our work supporting NHS England (London and South East regions), in the reconfiguration of very specialist children’s cancer services.
This was one of the most complex and emotive service changes in recent years. The objective was to move specialist cancer services to a site with a paediatric intensive care unit to eliminate the clinical risks of transferring very sick children between hospitals.
Effective communication is not just about reputation; it’s about guiding patients and families through change with empathy and transparency. Our team provided expert consultation support, which ensured:
- Voices were heard: We gathered 2,669 responses and ensured we heard from children, families, staff, and hard-to-reach groups through creative engagement such as ward-based play therapy activities.
- Robust decision-making: The process was thorough and detailed, enabling the NHS England team to have trust in the data needed to make their decision. The Secretary of State confirmed the ‘best decision’ had been made for young cancer patients.
- Clinical safety: Ultimately, this work enabled a decision that will see specialist children’s cancer services move to the same site as a paediatric intensive care unit, improving patient outcomes and experience by eliminating avoidable transfers for intensive care.
Learn more in our latest news story about this consultation.
Partnership at the core
Whether it’s improving dental health in a classroom in Tottenham or navigating a sensitive reconfiguration of cancer care across London and the south east, the common thread in our success is partnership.
At TPHC, we take pride in helping the NHS and local government deliver lasting improvements, from neighbourhood to a national level. We want to thank our partners for trusting us to help deliver these vital transformations.
With the right collaboration and communication, we can build a fairer, safer, and healthier future for our children.