29 June 2026
The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH) is celebrating being a finalist in the HSJ Patient Safety Awards 2026.
The awards celebrate outstanding individuals, teams and organisations, who are playing a pivotal role in improving patient safety across health and care.
The Trust has been nominated for the Advancing Patient Safety with Data and Analytics category, which reflects its ongoing commitment to patient safety.
SaTH’s award entry focused on addressing a significant patient safety challenge by redesigning the orthodontic-oral surgery pathway at the Trust.
Led by Leonie Seager, Consultant Orthodontist and Clinical Lead for Improvement, the redesigned pathway has supported the significant reduction of waiting times between referral and assessment allowing patients to receive their surgical care and operations sooner.
Key improvements include a new patient information and leaflet video, which was co-designed with patients to improve understanding and engagement. Proving a success already, feedback reveals that 97% of patients found the information video helpful, and 100% of patients awaiting surgery agreeing that it improved their experience.
Now fully embedded, the revised pathway is demonstrating strong potential to be scaled across other specialities in the Trust, which will further improve patient safety, provide patients with clearer information and reduce pathway waiting times.
It’s not just patients who are benefiting from the redesigned pathways. Staff feedback highlights improved morale and teamwork and reports a culture of innovation and shared ownership.
Speaking on the achievement, Martina Morris, Group Chief Nursing Officer said: “The Trust is honoured to be shortlisted for the Advancing Patient Safety with Data and Analytics award. It is a great testament to the hard work of our team, who have dedicated their time and resources to improving this pathway.
“Importantly, the redesigned pathway is already making a positive impact in the way that we care for our patients – the whole team should be proud of their achievements”
Leonie Seager, who led the project said: “We are delighted that our orthodontic-oral surgery improvement project has been shortlisted for a national HSJ Patient Safety Award.
“This work has been a real team effort, bringing together colleagues across specialties with the support of the Improvement Hub team to tackle long waiting times and the risks they pose to our patients.
“By putting patients at the centre of our approach and using data-driven improvements, we’ve been able to deliver safer, more efficient care and a much better experience for those we serve.
“It’s really rewarding to see the difference this has made for our patients on this pathway, and we’re proud to see this work acknowledged at a national level.”
Winners will be announced at the awards ceremony on 28 September 2026 at Telford International Centre. The event recognises innovations that improve patient outcomes, as well as celebrating leadership, collaboration and technology systems that deliver safer care to all.
For more details on the 2026 HSJ Patient Safety Award shortlist, visit https://awards.patientsafetycongress.co.uk/shortlist-2026
Photo caption: Featured from left to right: Jenna Gale, Dental Nurse; Arif Razzak, SAS Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Doctor; Khaled Borghol, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Consultant; Anish Patel. Orthodontic Consultant; Leonie Seager, Orthodontic Consultant