We are delighted to announce that Promni Health has been named a finalist in the Best in Primary Care & Diagnostics category at the 2026 LaingBuisson Awards, for our work in partnership with Bordesley East Primary Care Network.
Our submission, “Promni Health & Bordesley East PCN: Delivering Work & Wellbeing Pathways in Primary Care,” showcases an innovative approach to supporting patients whose health is affecting their ability to work, while simultaneously releasing valuable capacity within general practice.
The recognition is particularly meaningful for Promni Health. We previously won the same LaingBuisson category in 2023 and 2025, making this our third recognition in Best in Primary Care & Diagnostics in 4 years.
Moving beyond the traditional fit note model
The Bordesley East Work & Wellbeing pathway was developed in response to increasing demand associated with fit note requests, work-related health concerns and the need for earlier intervention.
Rather than treating a fit note request as simply an administrative process, Promni Health and Bordesley East PCN developed a physiotherapy led, multidisciplinary pathway focused on understanding what was preventing an individual from working and what support could help them recover, remain in work or return to work.
Patients could receive functional assessment, rehabilitation, workplace advice and self-management support, alongside onward referral into WorkWell and other relevant services.
The result was a more coordinated pathway connecting primary care, rehabilitation, wellbeing and employment support.
Demonstrating measurable impact
Between February and June 2026, 3 embedded clinicians managed 248 patient contacts, resulting in 213 attended consultations and an utilisation rate of 85.9%.
Importantly, the pathway also generated 94 onward referrals into WorkWell and associated support services, connecting patients with wider vocational, wellbeing and rehabilitation support.
By managing 213 attended patient contacts outside traditional GP appointments, the programme is estimated to have released 53.25 hours of GP clinical capacity — allowing valuable GP time to be redirected towards patients with more complex clinical needs.
The success of the partnership was also reflected in feedback from Bordesley East PCN, whose Operations Manager praised the clinicians for building an “amazing relationship with both our patients and staff members throughout the project.”
A changing role for primary care
For us, the significance of the programme extends beyond the activity delivered during the pilot.
Work related ill health is an increasingly important challenge for patients, employers and the NHS. The Bordesley East model demonstrates how primary care can intervene earlier, bringing together clinical assessment, rehabilitation and wider work and wellbeing support rather than allowing patients to navigate fragmented services independently.
It also demonstrates the potential for a wider range of clinicians to manage appropriate patient cohorts within primary care, releasing GP capacity while ensuring patients receive specialist support at the right point in their journey.
This approach is scalable and transferable, with the potential to support Primary Care Networks and neighbourhood health systems looking to develop more integrated approaches to prevention, work participation and population health.
Recognition of our growing clinical services
Being shortlisted again for Best in Primary Care & Diagnostics is also an important reflection of how Promni Health continues to evolve.
Our previous success in this category recognised our work in First Contact Physiotherapy. Today, our partnerships with the NHS extend across a growing range of clinical services, including musculoskeletal care, persistent pain, mental health, podiatry. frailty, care home support and Work & Wellbeing.
Across these services, the principle remains the same: working collaboratively with NHS partners to identify unmet need, embed the right clinical expertise and build sustainable services that improve access, patient outcomes and use of NHS capacity.
We are incredibly proud of the Promni Health clinicians and wider team involved in the Bordesley East programme, and grateful to our colleagues at Bordesley East PCN for their partnership and support.
The 2026 LaingBuisson Awards will take place on 19 November 2026 at Park Plaza Westminster Bridge, London.
We look forward to celebrating alongside the other finalists in November.
You can view the full list of finalists for the 2026 LaingBuisson Awards on the LaingBuisson Awards website.
