His Majesty The King continues his support of the Nursing Times Awards

A decade ago, His Majesty, as Prince of Wales, helped create and name a Nursing Times Awards category designed specifically to promoted integrated healthcare by nurses.

“I am delighted that His Majesty has agreed to continue his support for the integrated care category”

Steve Ford

The award, originally called the HRH The Prince of Wales Award for Integrated Approaches to Care, has been given each year since then.

Nursing Times has recently been told that His Majesty, since becoming King Charles III in September 2022, is content to continue with his support for the category.

As a result, from this year onwards, the category will be known as The King’s Award for Integrated Approaches to Care.

The award seeks to recognise nurses whose work is reducing the burden on the NHS by preventing ill-health or offering truly holistic care to patients who have long-term conditions or complex needs.

It seeks to recognise nurses in any setting who have collaborated with other organisations, such as those from the voluntary or third sector, to promote public health and prevent disease or manage long-term conditions in a holistic and integrated way that improves quality of life and independence.

Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust won the category in 2023 for their Operation Provide initiative.

Operation Provide was originally set up during the Covid-19 pandemic to address concerns of hidden harms associated with ‘locked-in’ victims of domestic violence.

NHS-employed independent domestic violence advisers joined police officers from Lancashire Constabulary on patrol and, when deployed to incidents of domestic abuse, delivered risk assessments and safety planning, as well as emotional, informational and advocacy support to victims.

The initiative has supported more than 3,000 people and, due to its success, received funding from the Ministry of Justice, which has enabled it to continue beyond its original remit. It has now been launched as a national homicide prevention framework.

In addition, we are grateful that the award category has been sponsored by Nuffield Health since its inception in 2014 and will be once again this year.

Nursing Times editor Steve Ford said: “I am delighted that His Majesty has agreed to continue his support for the integrated care category at the Nursing Times Awards.

“The importance of providing care in a holistic and integrated way for those with long-term conditions has arguably never been greater than now.

“I believe this award and His Majesty play an important role in both recognising and encouraging members of the nursing and midwifery professions who provide and innovate care in this way.

“I look forward to meeting the winners of this year’s The King’s Award for Integrated Approaches to Care at our awards ceremony in October and thank His Majesty once again for his support.”

Finalists of the 2016 HRH The Prince of Wales Award for Integrated Approaches to Care at Clarence House