NPC Digital Pioneer Award Winner: Choice Support

This is our flagship award tonight, for the provider that hasn't just implemented new tools, but has genuinely led the way, using digital transformation to change care quality and outcomes for the better. The organisations shortlisted here all took a different route to get there, and that variety is exactly what makes this category so exciting to present. Runners up: Avante Care & Support Choice Support Blackadder Choice Support is our Digital Pioneer for this year, and what won the judges over was the sequencing of their journey. Before they even talked about rolling out Nourish, Choice invested in building digital confidence across the whole organisation. Their bespoke 'Back to Basics' digital skills programme created a safe space for colleagues to work through anxieties about technology and build foundational skills first, updating devices, managing passwords, using mobile technology, before being asked to use a care system at all. Only once that foundation was in place did they create a network of Nourish Champions. This was a deliberate cultural shift: rather than keeping ownership with managers, Choice opened up Champion roles to anyone with enthusiasm and commitment to person-centred practice, support workers and deputy managers included. Their philosophy was 'digital confidence before digital systems', and it shows in the outcome: strengthened support planning, better oversight of outcomes, and real-time recording across the organisation. As one of their own directors put it, they've stopped seeing barriers and started seeing opportunities. That people-first approach to transformation is precisely what this award is designed to recognise. Born from the co-produced Digital Excellence in Care Framework, the awards celebrate organisations leading the way across six categories: Digital Pioneer Award Data-Driven Care Award Safeguarding Through Innovation Award Connected Care Award Cyber Resilience in Care Award The Nourish API Trailblazer Award