Publish date: 3 June 2026
Winners in the West Yorkshire and Harrogate Cancer Alliance Innovation Through Collaboration Awards 2026 have been announced, following the first-ever WYH Cancer Alliance conference in Leeds yesterday (June 2).
Click on the drop-down boxes below to learn more about which individuals and organisations were successful in each of eight categories.
Visit our Latest News piece published when the awards were launched.
Most Impactful Innovation Project in primary care - the 'front door' of the NHS, the first point of contact for patients, providing accessible, general healthcare services to prevent, diagnose and treat common conditions.
Winner:
Eilidh Gunson
Cancer and Palliative Care Improvement Lead
Pennine GP Alliance
Shortlisted:
Justine Joy
Programme Manager
Bradford, District and Craven, West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board
Most Impactful Innovation Project in secondary care - usually referring to specialised medical services provided by experts, usually upon referral from a primary care provider, often in hospitals or specialist clinics.
Winner:
Specialist Haemato-Oncology and Palliative Care (HOPe) Service
Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust
Shortlisted:
Leeds Surface Guided Radiotherapy Implementation Team
The Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
Non Surgical Oncology Programme North Sector
ePROMS Delivery Group
Airedale NHS Foundation Trust, Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust, The Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
Prostate Education and Exercise Programme Team
Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust
Most Impactful Innovation Project involving voluntary and community groups, and social enterprises (known as the VCSE sector) - a range of organisations including small grassroots charities, faith-based organisations, social enterprises and community-based groups. They play a vital role in supporting statutory health and social care agencies to improve health outcomes and provide tailored services, advocating for patients and supporting patient engagement.
Winner:
Staying Well Social Prescribing Team, Calderdale
Shortlisted:
Bless Community Support
Cancer SMART
Yorkshire Cancer Community
Dementia Forward and Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust
Our fourth category recognises the exceptional achievement of a team or service delivering the Most Impactful Innovation Project (prevention, diagnosis or care-related) pan system for the population of West Yorkshire and Harrogate.
Winner:
Robyn Bowman
Clinical Nurse Specialist and the
Pelvic Late Effects Team
The Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
Shortlisted:
Liver Buddies – Community Liver Health Checks Service
West Yorkshire Liver Care Operational Delivery Network
Utilisation of oral lesion photography in the triage of suspected cancer referrals
The Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
West Yorkshire and Harrogate Cancer Alliance and Trust Lead Cancer Nurse ACCEND Collaboration
Hosted by The Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
Our Clinical Champion award recognises the work of an individual working in a direct care role, leading or contributing to a cancer-focused innovation (prevention, diagnosis or care-related) for the West Yorkshire and Harrogate population.
Winner:
Victoria Rawnsley, Specialist Oral Chemotherapy Nurse, Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Shortlisted:
Dr Oliver Hulson
Consultant Radiologist
The Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
Ian Maud
Clinical Nurse Specialist Team Lead – Pancreas
The Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
Our Non-Clinical Champion award recognises the work of a non-clinical individual working in, leading or contributing to a cancer-focused innovation (prevention, diagnosis or care-related) for the West Yorkshire and Harrogate population.
Winner:
Dr Shaunna Burke
Associate Professor in Exercise and Health Psychology
University of Leeds
Shortlisted:
Julian Chadha
Manager, RPA Team – The Health Informatics Service
Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust
Lucy Elkiss
Project Lead Nurse - ACCEND Implementation
West Yorkshire and Harrogate Cancer Alliance
Kathryn Thornton
Health and Wellbeing Coach/Cancer Care Co-ordinator
West Leeds Primary Care Network
A special category - the Paul Vose Award - honours someone who has demonstrated compassion and a commitment to ensuring the voice of the patient is heard and is an integral part of the development and transformation of cancer care and services in our area.
The award is named in honour of Paul Vose, pictured left, one of the original lay members of the Cancer Alliance Board, who passed away in May 2025. Paul - who was diagnosed with tonsil cancer in his early 50s - was also a former member of the National Cancer Patient and Public Voices Forum; Treasurer of the charity, Yorkshire Cancer Community; a member of the Cancer Alliance patient panel; a Cancer SMART champion, and held a number of other patient advocacy positions in West Yorkshire.
The shortlist for this award was compiled by Jayne Vose, Paul's widow; Dr Stewart Manning, Chair of charity Yorkshire Cancer Community, and Jason Pawluk, Cancer Alliance Managing Director, rather than through an open call for nominations.
Winner:
Stephen Halstead
Shortlisted:
Michael Barton
David Blunt
Ric Myers
Most Impactful Poster - displayed at the Innovation Through Collaboration Conference 2026
Winner:
