Improving Inclusivity Award

The Hospice UK Awards celebrate the innovative work taking place in hospices and palliative care organisations across the UK, and the people involved with them

The Improving Inclusivity Award recognises the work of an individual or team in a hospice who, through a novel approach, has addressed inequality in their community and/or promoted equality, diversity and inclusion within their organisation. 

This award is now open for nominations! Enter by 17:00 on 7 September 2026. The winners will be announced at our National Conference in Liverpool on 16 - 18 November 2026. 

What's on this page

About this award

This award celebrates a team or individual in a hospice who have found new ways to engage with minoritised groups in their area to drive positive change in services, based on lived experience.  

Examples of work undertaken could include: 

  • New ways of engaging with minoritised groups in their area to drive positive change in services, based on lived experience.   
  • How you have engaged actively and meaningfully with groups that are not currently accessing your services 
  • Gaining an understanding of what groups are not engaging with their services and why, including collecting/analysing data on this. 
  • Running an effective programme to diversify workforce so they are more representative of their community.  

We would like to hear about work that has:

  • Engaged minority groups through public voice work to drive positive change based on lived experience.  
  • Attracted more diverse candidates to the hospice sector through innovative recruitment campaigns and practices. 
  • Leveraged data to advance workplace diversity, equality and inclusion. 
  • Broken down barriers for under-represented communities through career development programmes such as mentoring schemes 
  • Worked to deepen understanding and improve engagement with services amongst minority groups. 

What the judges are looking for

Please consider the following information when making your nomination:

What is the work/activity that you would like to recognise? 

  • What communities or groups the work is aiming to reach 
  • Why there was a need for the work/activity
  • What barriers were identified 

How was the work undertaken?

  • How the approach to the work was designed e.g. co-designed, use of data, tailored to need  
  • Which of the key areas of interest for this award as listed on the main award page did this activity improve? (e.g. engagement with minority groups, improving workplace diversity)? 
  • What was the timeframe and scale of this work (e.g. pilot, service wide, partnership level)? 

Tell us about the impact of the work, and its future opportunities 

  • What has actually changed for patients, communities or staff as a result of this work? 
  • Are there measurable improvements evidenced through data, and examples of the work being sustained or embedded within the organisation? 
  • Could improvements in diversity and inclusion be linked with better outcomes? 
  • Have the learnings from this activity been captured and shared with other hospices/organisations to help them undertake a similar journey? If so, how?  

Before making your nomination, please read our submission criteria and general guidance. 

Enter now

To enter the Improving Inclusivity Award, please complete our short form.

The deadline for nominations is 17:00 on Monday 7 September 2026.  

All of our award winners will be announced at our National Conference in Liverpool on 16 - 18 November 2026. 

Award Thank you image

Improving Inclusivity Award nomination form

Enter the Improving Inclusivity Award to celebrate an individual or team who has promoted equality, diversity and inclusion in your organisation.

Find out more

Previous winners

Improving Inclusivity Award 2025

2025 Winner: Multidisciplinary Hearing Loss Group, Royal Trinity Hospice

In this widely relevant and collaborative work, the team at Royal Trinity Hospice have worked to support patients, staff and volunteers through the development of clinical skills, advocacy and changes to the physical environment, with an emphasis on community engagement. 

Read more about the winner
Keech Hospice Care’s learning and community team are the 2024 winners of the Improving Inclusivity Award at the Hospice UK Conference

2024 Winner: Keech Hospice Care

Keech Hospice Care’s learning and community team have taken a multi-strand approach to connecting the hospice with its highly diverse local population and removing barriers to high-quality care and support. 

The team stood out for their community connector approach to improving equity of access to quality care for South Asian communities; mentoring and support for other hospices; and collaboration with the University of Bedfordshire to offer a PhD studentship to better understand the needs of Eastern European communities in the UK.

Read more about the winners
Leah from Pendleside Hospice was the 2023 Inclusivity Champion award winner

2023 Winner: Leah, Pendleside Hospice (Inclusivity Champion Award)

Leah’s collaborative project aims to raise awareness of Pendleside Hospice’s services amongst the minority ethnic community in Burnley and Pendle. This award acknowledges the vital work done to recognise and celebrate what is important to the local Asian community in marking Ramadan and the significance of Iftar. 

The Panel commented, “It was clear that the development of trust built between the hospice and the community members has contributed to an increase in patient referrals, an appointment of a hospice trustee and an increase in volunteer recruitment. Well done Leah!”

Find out more about Pendleside Hospice