Celebrating double success at the HSJ Partnership Awards

Flippin’ Pain is celebrating after receiving two Highly Commended honours at the prestigious HSJ Partnership Awards last Thursday. ‍ ‍

The HSJ Partnership Awards are some of the most respected awards in UK healthcare. They highlight great teamwork that helps patients, improves services, and brings new ideas to the NHS.

At the ceremony on 19 March 2026, Flippin’ Pain was Highly Commended in the following categories:

• Outstanding Contribution to Preventative Care
• Best Educational Programme for the NHS

These awards recognise how Flippin’ Pain is helping people understand pain better, supporting communities, and improving patient care through education and outreach.

Director of Flippin’ Pain Richard Pell said: “We were up against some really inspiring projects from across the UK – honestly stiff competition! So, to get Highly Commended in both categories we were nominated for is a huge honour.

“It is powerful to see how Flippin’ Pain can make a difference in so many ways, down so many avenues. To see the biggest benefits of pain education, we need to reach the full system: so, we will continue to engage, educate and empower until this knowledge is second nature to everyone.”

Community Pain Champion for Flippin’ Pain, Professor Cormac Ryan from Teesside University, said: “It was wonderful to have our work commended at the HSJ Partnership Awards. It highlights the high quality of work and the huge effort that everyone in the Flippin’ Pain team brings to the initiative. It’s wonderful to see the positive impact we are having for people with persistent pain on a daily basis.”

Persistent pain affects millions of people in the UK and puts pressure on families and health services. Flippin’ Pain’s touring events, resources, and NHS partnerships are praised for being clear, science‑based, and easy to understand: and now they have the awards to prove it.

These commendations also highlight the power of working together. Thanks to strong NHS partnerships across the country alongside our higher education partner Teesside University, Flippin’ Pain is now an even stronger voice in the national effort to change how pain is understood and managed.