Five acute trusts, two mental health providers, a specialist centre and an ambulance service will battle it out for the coveted “Trust of the Year” category of the 2024 HSJ Awards.

The nine organisations are part of the 200 plus shortlisted entries attached to the 26 categories for this year’s HSJ Awards. Now in their 44th year, the awards have grown to the largest of their type in the world.

The full shortlist can be seen here.

The shortlisted entries will be now be assessed by the 200 plus senior NHS figures that make up this year’s judging panel.

The judges include: NHS England medical director Sir Steve Powis, National Institute of Health and Care Excellence CEO Sam Roberts and Department of Health and Social Care director general for secondary care and integration Matthew Style. The panel also features over a dozen leading trust chief executives such as Andy Hardy, Joe Harrison, Steve McManus, Siobhan Melia, Richard Mitchell, Michele Moran, David Probert, and Owen Willams.

The Awards winners will be announced in London on the evening of 21 November.

Anne-Marie Vine-Lott, Director of Health at Vodafone Business, the HSJ Awards headline partner, said: “As we enter our second year of sponsoring the awards, we continue to be truly inspired and humbled by the phenomenal entries received. The standard this year has been exceptional, with the ‘voice of the patient’ clearly continuing to be integral to every project. Congratulations on the outstanding quality of your entries and the impactful work you’ve accomplished so far. We’re excited to meet you at the awards in November to celebrate your achievements.”