A community health project in Cam which works with people with experience of persistent pain in a bid to understand how the condition affects their lives has been shortlisted for a national award.

GL11 Community Hub and NHS Gloucestershire have been nominated in the ‘Best Not for Profit working in partnership with the NHS’ category at the HSJ Partnership Awards 2024.

The project, which involves engaging with people about how they experience and manage their condition, has been run out of GL11’s community hub base in Cam.

Ellen Rule, Director of Strategy and Transformation and Deputy Chief Executive at NHS Gloucestershire, said:

“We’re delighted that the fantastic work of an organisation like GL11 has been recognised at a national level. As One Gloucestershire Integrated Care System, we have good, long-standing relationships between statutory and VCSE sectors, with this project a shining example of our shared ambition to make our county a better and healthier place to live and work.

GL11 are experts in understanding the needs of their local community, and they’ve established strong and trusting relationships with people who are living with chronic pain, so they were well placed to lead this work.”

Cathy Stannard, Clinical Lead for Pain Transformation at NHS Gloucestershire, said:

“The best way we can support people with persistent pain is by asking what matters to them. The feedback and insight GL11 have gathered from people with lived experience allows us to work together to focus on developing the support and services they need to live well.

“We know persistent pain can have a massive impact on the lives of those living with the condition and their families, anything we can do to offer more support and understand the experiences of people affected by pain is really valuable.”

Indigo Redfern MBE, the CEO at GL11 Community Hub, said:

“It’s so exciting and rewarding to work with local people on their healthcare, providing feedback to help the NHS to deliver people-shaped pain support services in the heart of the community.”

Now in its seventh year, 228 entries have been received for this year’s Partnership Awards, with 188 projects and individuals meriting inclusion on the final shortlist. The high volume – and exceptional quality – of applications once again mirrors the impressive levels of innovation and care continually being developed across the UK’s healthcare system.

The HSJ Partnership Awards will be held in London on Thursday 21 March 2024. To find out more about the awards and the finalists, please visit https://partnership.hsj.co.uk/finalists-2024