At last night’s gala dinner (May 28, 2026), during the National Leadership Forum at the superb new venue of the Royal Armouries in Leeds, HEFMA celebrated the winners of its 2026 Awards. Recognising excellence from Estates and Facilities teams and individuals working within the NHS across England, eight awards were presented by National Chair, David Moss at the event, which was hosted by broadcaster Rachel McTavish.
The award for Outstanding Service to NHS Estates and Facilities Management was presented to Mervyn Phipps in recognition of his many decades of dedication and service, and his commitment to excellence, supporting the development and advancement of healthcare environments that directly enhance safety and operational effectiveness. Worthy of particular mentions is Mervyn’s longstanding support for the development, recognition and importance of Authorised Engineers within the NHS, championing the critical they play in maintaining the safety, compliance and resilience of complex healthcare engineering systems. Mervyn is also a longstanding supporter of HEFMA, holding Branch and National Officer roles.
Winners and runners-up
• Cost Saving Initiative (sponsored by Meiko UK)
Winner: Paper Products Implementation Team: Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
A cross-functional collaboration between multiple teams has standardised all paper towel and toilet roll dispensers, and transitioned from folded to rolled hand towels across five hospital sites. Operational efficiency and productivity benefits relate to reduced refill frequency due to longer rolls and stub roll mechanisms prevent waste.
Runners up:
Non Clinical Contracts: Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust
Nicola Watson: Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
Health and Safety Department: NHS University Hospitals of Liverpool Group
• Digital Innovation (sponsored by Eastwood Park)
Winner: Catering Team: Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust
This team has modernised patient mealtimes, replacing paper menus with a digitally-connected, sustainably-focused, service. The introduction of an Electronic Meal Ordering (EMO) system, integrated with Foodsteps, a digital platform that provides recipe-level carbon analysis, enabled menus to be redesigned, with lower carbon, plant-based options, in a data-driven way.
Runners up:
TeleTracking System: Barnsley Facilities Services
8888: NHS University Hospitals of Liverpool Group
Health and Safety Department: NHS University Hospitals of Liverpool Group
AI Adoption Programme (Capital Projects, Estates and Facilities): Somerset NHS Foundation Trust and CompliMind
• Leader of the Year (sponsored by Hill Dickinson)
Winner: Jo Fitzgerald: Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
Jo has driven transformational change within the Trust’s catering services. Under her leadership, teams have achieved nationally exceptional outcomes, including Gold and Green Soil Association accreditations, NHS England Exemplar Trust status and Green Standards across six sites, all within an unprecedented timescale of eight months.
Runners up:
Chris Flowers, Head of Estates: NHS University Hospitals of Liverpool Group
Sue Middleton, Domestic Services Manager: Wrightington, Wigan & Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Mike Morgan: NHS University Hospitals of Liverpool Group
Dawn Pickering, Head of Domestic Services: Barnsley Facilities Services
• Personal Development (sponsored by PPL Training)
Winner: Kerrey Healey: Northamptonshire Healthcare Foundation Trust
Kerrey has progressed from a Band 2 Catering Assistant, through determination, learning and personal commitment, to become a Band 4 Catering Compliance Officer supporting eight hospital sites and six cafés. As well as external accolades, Kerrey gives up her own time to support other catering team staff.
Runners up:
Willem Hendriksen: Wrightington, Wigan & Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Reece Milton: Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
Claire Powell: NHS University Hospitals of Liverpool Group
Caitlin Riley: Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
• Project of the Year (sponsored by MICAD)
Winner: Capital Projects Team: Barnsley Facilities Services
The Outpatient Development within the Alhambra Shopping Centre has been hailed as the UK’s largest relocation of hospital outpatient services outside a clinical setting and into the town centre, creating a model for how these services can be modernised at scale. This move is designed to improve access, reduce missed appointments, decongest the acute site and relieve parking pressures.
Runners up:
Estates & Facilities: Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust
E&F Redevelopment and Major Capital Team: NHS University Hospitals of Liverpool Group
Estates Development Team: West Suffolk Foundation Trust
Capital Estates Team: Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
• Sustainability (sponsored by WAVE)
Winner: e-Bike Pilot: Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust
This initiative embeds sustainable mobility, providing clinicians at Memorial Hospital in Greenwich with a fleet of e-bikes, newly-installed charging and secure parking infrastructure. It integrates digital monitoring, estates-led infrastructure delivery and comprehensive staff training. Oxleas has created a governance-approved blueprint that prioritises staff safety through fit-for-purpose equipment, fire-safe infrastructure and insurance clarity.
Runners up:
Sustainability Team: Humber Teaching NHS Foundation Trust
Net Zero Northumbria: Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
Oxleas in Bloom: Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust
Sustainability, Biodiversity and Green Space Team: NHS University Hospitals of Liverpool Group
• Team of the Year (sponsored by Synbiotix)
Winner: Sustainability Team: NHS University Hospitals of Liverpool Group
This team have developed a multi-disciplinary approach to securing funding across a complex estate – spanning four hospital sites – pursuing external funding opportunities whilst building internal capacity to deliver projects effectively. Major service improvements have been delivered across energy reduction, decarbonisation, travel and access to green space.
Runners up:
Health and Safety Team: Calderdale and Huddersfield Solutions Ltd
Capital, Estates and Facilities (CEF) Team: Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust
Estates & Facilities (E&F) Technical Development Team: Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
Northumbria Healthcare Community Estates Team: Northumbria Healthcare Facilities Management
Congratulations to all of our winners and runners-up. You will be able to read about our winners in more details in subsequent issues of HEFMA’s Pulse magazine.
