Publish date: 14 August 2023
West London NHS Trust is delighted to announce that the Nexus short film about eating disorders has been shortlisted for NHS Communications Initiative of the Year at the HSJ Awards, recognising an outstanding contribution to healthcare and securing a place at the prestigious awards ceremony later this year.
A ‘record-breaking’ 1456 entries have been received for this year’s Awards, with 223 projects and individuals reaching the final shortlist, making it the biggest awards programme in the award’s 43-year history. The high volume - and exceptional quality – of applications once again mirrors the impressive levels of innovation and care continually being developed within the UK’s healthcare networks.
Following the thorough judging process, West London NHS Trust was shortlisted, ahead of the official awards ceremony to be held later this year (November 16th), with its Nexus short film standing out as a real ‘success story’ worthy of a prized place on the panel’s shortlist.
Nexus is a joint project between West London NHS Trust, Inner Eye Productions and Imperial College London with funding from the Burdett Trust for Nursing.
The film was co-produced with young people and based on research from Dr Lindsay Dewa, an honorary research psychologist for the Trust.
The research revealed that eating disorders had increased amongst young people during the Covid-19 pandemic and it’s for this reason that the story focuses on a teenage boy struggling with bulimia.
Dr Dewa’s research also showed that one of the best coping mechanisms for young people was each other.
The communication initiative focused on the power of storytelling and film to emotionally engage clinicians, public and policymakers about eating disorders in young men and the importance of social connection.
One of the most important elements was embedding young people’s voice- ensuring the right voices were heard, resulting in the right message, to the right people in the right way.
The film was archived by the British Film Institute (BFI),which means it will be watched in years to come to better understand the pandemic. It also secured funding for a national roadshow to cinemas and venues across the country as part of #EatingDisorderAwarenessWeek with this year’s topic ‘Men get eating disorders too’ – fitting with the film’s protagonist, a male, struggling with bulimia.
HSJ editor Alastair McLellan, adds; “It always gives me great pleasure to congratulate our finalists at this stage of the judging process and this year is no exception as we acknowledge the Nexus short film for being shortlisted in the category of NHS Communications initiative of the Year.
“It’s been so encouraging to hear that 2023 has been record-breaking in terms of the number of applicants and, as ever, the calibre of entries left our panel of expert judges with some tough decisions to deliberate over.
“However, it’s always important to remember that the HSJ Awards are not just a celebration of success stories but also a platform to shape the future of the NHS.
“We can’t wait to welcome our finalists to the awards ceremony in November and to recognise and applaud such impressive achievements across the sector – as well as coming together to help mark the 75th birthday of our great NHS. Huge thanks also go to our new headline partner, Vodafone, who share our mission of driving the standard of healthcare excellence and creating better patient experiences.”
The selected winners will be announced during the awards ceremony at Evolution London on November 16th 2023. The event will not only reflect the HSJ Awards’ enduring ethos of “sharing best practice, improving patient outcomes and innovating drivers of better service” but will also serve as a timely and well-deserved thank you to the sector during the 75th anniversary year of the NHS.
The 2023 awards judging panel was once again made up of a diverse range of highly influential and respected figures within the healthcare community, including; Crystal Oldman, Chief Executive, Queen’s Nursing Institute; Dr Habib Naqvi MBE, Chief Executive, NHS Race and Health Observatory; Anne-Marie Vine-Lott, Director of Health, Vodafone; Sir Jim Mackey, National Director of Elective Recovery, NHS England, as well as a range of esteemed Chief Executives from NHS Trusts across the UK.
The full list of nominees for the 2023 HSJ awards can be found at https://awards.hsj.co.uk/alongside details of the Awards partners at https://awards.hsj.co.uk/partners.