Sanofi and Birmingham Hospital Win Inaugural Award

A partnership between Sanofi and University Hospitals Birmingham earned the inaugural Excellence in Healthcare Partnerships (EHP) Awards for its work transforming the Severe Asthma Service. The collaboration tackled long-standing delays in patient access to biologic treatments by focusing on administrative inefficiencies rather than on clinical gaps.

The service had been strained by high demand, excessive paperwork, and limited specialist capacity, which forced consultants and nurses to spend valuable time on non-clinical tasks. By creating a shared-funded Biologics Administrator role, the team introduced clearer workflows and joint governance. The pharma firm supplied funding, project-management expertise, and partnership know-how, while the NHS trust contributed clinical leadership and operational insight.

During the first year, the number of patients beginning biologic therapy rose dramatically, from just over fifty to well beyond one hundred and seventy, representing a rise of more than two-fold. At the same time, average waiting periods fell from nearly two hundred days to just over one hundred, cutting the delay by roughly half. A new weekly clinic was added, freeing nursing staff for follow-up appointments and allowing consultants to concentrate on the most complex cases. Administrative duplication was reduced, and the biologics database became far more reliable.

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The arrangement avoided a one-off funding deal. Instead, it started with a clearly defined problem and was built around shared goals, transparent reporting, and mutual accountability. Within five months, the hospital approved a permanent business case for the administrator position, securing long-term sustainability. This method differs from many collaborations that treat funding merely as a transaction rather than as a tool for systemic change.

Success hinged on two guiding principles: first, redesigning workflows so that tasks matched the expertise of the staff performing them; second, measuring outcomes that went beyond simple resource allocation. In other NHS services, similar initiatives often stumble by adding staff without addressing how work is organized. Here, the emphasis was on removing barriers, such as redundant paperwork, that prevented specialists from delivering timely care. The result was faster treatment, reduced clinician burnout, and a model that other departments could emulate.

The EHP Awards 2027 are now open for entry. Visit the EHP Award website to learn more about the categories and how to enter.