The 2009 Health and Social Care Awards were launched on 10 December and the search is now on to find the best health and social care teams in England. Now in their eighth year, the awards are designed to celebrate excellence and innovation, and share ideas that improve the lives of patients, service users, carers and staff.

The awards are open to anyone working throughout the NHS, social services, the voluntary, charity and independent sectors in England, and are a fantastic way to showcase your project and reward your team.

The regional award scheme is run in partnership between the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement, the Department of Health and the 10 Strategic Health Authorities.

This year there are 14 Award Categories. All categories are open to teams, with the exception of the Leadership for Improvement and the People’s Award for Dignity in Care categories, which will also be open to individuals. The NHS Live Category will be run at national level only and can be applied for by any team whether or not they have applied for any other category.

Regional finalists and winners will be announced at 10 regional ceremonies across the country in May 2009. Regional winners will automatically be considered for the National finals. A national judging panel, chaired by the NHS Chief Executive will shortlist the regional winners and select three national finalists per category.

National winners will be announced at a high profile ceremony in London presided over by the Secretary of State for Health on 8 July 2009.

Full details of all categories and how to apply are available on www.healthandsocialcareawards.org.uk. The deadline for entries is midnight on 6 March 2009.