Strasys and Liverpool proud to be finalists in “Best Consultancy Partnership with the NHS” award
Strasys & NHS University Hospitals of Liverpool Group (UHLG) are delighted to be finalists in the “Best Consultancy Partnership with the NHS” in the HSJ (Health Service Journal) Partnership Awards 2025. Announced at the jam-packed awards ceremony on 20 March, where over 1,200 attendees gathered to celebrate and recognise the vital partnership between industry and the NHS, reaching the finals, despite not taking home the top prize, remains a remarkable achievement.
The entry entitled “A modern, motivated workforce to shape a sustainable and thriving healthcare system” is rooted in a story of hope, ambition, empathy, leadership and the courage to think and do things differently.
Strasys, a leading analytics and innovation agency, collaborated with UHLG – one of England’s largest employers and care providers – after past, current, and planned interventions showed limited impact. The NHS doesn’t suffer from a lack of data; rather, the challenge lies in its fragmentation, underutilisation, and categorisation into rigid staff bands and types.
Strasys helped UHLG take a fresh approach, revealing that two in five people move on each year – affecting quality of care, driving up costs and impacting productivity – amid shifting generational expectations of working in the NHS. Key to this work was the pioneering Workforce Decision Intelligence solution that combines advanced analytics to create actionable insights and the human stories behind the numbers.
Heather Barnett, Group Chief People Officer, UHLG explained “I am thrilled to see the team earn this well-deserved recognition at the HSJ Partnership Awards. Our workforce is undeniably diverse and complex, and tackling the operational challenges within the NHS requires a different approach. This is the story of how we shifted our focus from simply managing numbers to enhancing retention, recruitment, and productivity by gaining a deeper understanding of our staff and their needs. We have seen a real energy and engagement across the system and we genuinely couldn’t have done this work without Strasys.”
Naeem Younis, Founder and CEO of Strasys added: “We’re proud to be finalists alongside UHLG and congratulate all the worthy winners. With better use and application of data and insights, we have been changing mindsets from the boardroom to the front-line. The impact has been game changing with a simplified and joined up plan supported by the board, into new ways of working, supporting staff and building core capability. It has truly demonstrated the power of the right partnership to help the NHS become self-sustainable. As partners we continue to build a movement across the NHS.”
UHLG had a clear view of its workforce, needs, behaviours and motivations for the first time. At the heart of this approach was Strasys’s innovative workforce segmentation intelligence, which led to the establishment of five unique segments that enabled the organisation to rethink its people planning and capability development. Linking this to productivity and patient care led to the identification of a £350m opportunity over five years, now part of a transformation programme.
Strasys was selected as one of over 180 organisations, projects, and individuals shortlisted from more than 280 entries submitted for the 2025 awards programme. The winners were announced during the awards ceremony at Evolution London on 20 March 2025. The full list of finalists for the 2025 HSJ Partnership Awards can be found at https://partnership.hsj.co.uk/finalists-2025
Notes to Editors
ABOUT STRASYS
Strasys is a leading analytics and innovation agency founded in 2015. It has partnered with over 40 NHS organisations, governments and other health and life science organisations across the UK and internationally, impacting the lives of 50m+ citizens.
With a richness of skills and expertise in the NHS and industry, spanning over three decades, Strasys helps leaders build the confidence and courage to think differently, ask the pertinent questions, and overcome siloed thinking to build a new future. The ambition to create healthier and thriving communities.
www.strasys.uk/
ABOUT UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS OF LIVERPOOL GROUP
NHS University Hospitals of Liverpool Group (UHLG) was formed on 1 November 2024, born from a shared aim to improve the care we provide our communities.
We operate from four hospital sites: Aintree University Hospital, Broadgreen Hospital, Liverpool Women’s Hospital and the Royal Liverpool University Hospital, alongside a host of community services.
We are one of the largest employers in region, with over 16,800 colleagues who are dedicated to caring for our communities – from birth and beyond.
For the 630,000 people across Merseyside, we are their local NHS. We provide general and emergency hospital care, alongside highly specialised regional services that extend to more than two million people in the North West.
Aintree University Hospital is the single receiving site for adult major trauma patients in Cheshire and Merseyside, and hosts a number of regional services including an award-winning stroke facility. Broadgreen Hospital is home to several elective surgical, diagnostic and treatment services, together with specialist patient rehabilitation. Liverpool Women’s Hospital specialises in the health of women and babies, delivering over 7,200 babies in the UK’s largest single site maternity hospital each year. The Royal Liverpool University Hospital is the largest hospital in the country to provide inpatients with 100% single en-suite bedrooms and mainly focuses on complex planned care and specialist services.
ABOUT THE HSJ AWARDS
The HSJ Partnership Awards recognise the most effective collaborations with the NHS highlight the benefits which working with the private and third sectors can bring to patients and NHS organisations.
ABOUT HSJ
The Health Service Journal is the only title to cover all aspects of publicly funded healthcare,
providing news, analysis, best practise information from some of the most powerful and respected figures in health. The HSJ audience is formed of healthcare leaders from both clinical and non-clinical backgrounds and both public and private sectors.
