Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust (OHFT) is delighted to announce that its biomarker pilot project in collaboration with Eli Lilly & Company has been shortlisted for the prestigious HSJ Partnership of the Year Award 2025, recognising outstanding collaboration between the NHS and its partners to improve patient care.

The HSJ Partnership of the Year Award celebrates projects that exemplify the NHS’s collaborative spirit and commitment to innovation. This category acknowledges partnerships that have delivered tangible improvements in healthcare outcomes, efficiency, and equity. Being shortlisted places Oxford Health’s pilot among the UK’s most impactful healthcare initiatives in 2025, having already won the category for ‘Best Pharmaceutical Partnership with the NHS Launched at the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Oxford Health Clinical Research Facility (OH CRF), the project is a national collaboration between Oxford Health, Dementias Platform UK (DPUK), Eli Lilly and Company, and other NHS Trusts . It aims to transform early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease.

The pilot spans four NHS Trusts, 2 Mental Health Trusts (Oxford Health, Manchester) and 2 Acute Trusts (Brighton, and Sheffield) serving diverse communities and testing the scalability of biomarker diagnostics. To support national rollout, with a focus on Mental Health Trusts, the team has created a toolkit with governance guidance, commissioning advice, and streamlined referral forms. So far, 15 patients have already been seen at Oxford Health, with more scheduled, and clinician interest continues to grow.

Amanda Colston

“Currently, very few patients can access biomarker testing, and it has not previously been available at OHFT,” said Amanda Colston, Matron at OH CRF. “By proving it can work in everyday NHS memory clinics, we are helping to make advanced diagnostics available to everyone, not just the lucky few.”

Reflecting on the project’s national significance, Professor Vanessa Raymont, Director of Research & Development at OHFT and the project lead, added: “Being shortlisted for the HSJ Partnership of the Year is a powerful endorsement of the collaborative work behind this pilot.”

Prof. Vanessa Raymont

“It recognises the importance of bringing cutting-edge diagnostics into Mental Health Trust settings and highlights how partnerships like ours can drive real change in dementia care across the NHS.”

The HSJ Awards are among the most respected accolades in UK healthcare, celebrating excellence, innovation, and partnership across the sector. The 2025 shortlist includes categories such as Mental Health Innovation, Digitising Patient Care, and Driving Efficiency through Technology, highlighting the breadth of transformative work happening across the NHS.

Oxford Health’s pilot stands out for its ambition, scalability, and patient-centred approach. As the project continues to evolve, it offers a compelling blueprint for how collaborative working, clinical training and infrastructure investment can reshape dementia diagnostics for all.

For more information or to access the referral toolkit, contact the OH CRF team at oxfordhealth.CRF@nhs.net.