Left to right: Nick Hewer, host; Jennifer Madden and Ashling McElvanna, Belfast podiatry team and winners of the Excellence in Community Partnership to Improve Population Health Award; Michelle Tennyson, Chief Allied Health Professions Officer for Northern Ireland.

What's happened 

Podiatrists were among the winners at this year's Advancing Healthcare Awards, a national programme that recognises excellence among allied health professionals, healthcare scientists and support staff. 

Dr Jill Halstead-Rastrick received the award for Developing the AHP and Healthcare Science Workforce for her Leeds Community Healthcare Research Secondment Initiative. 

Jennifer Madden and Ashling McElvanna from the Belfast Podiatry Team were recognised with the award for Excellence in Community Partnership to Improve Population Health. 

At the end of the evening, Dr Halstead-Rastrick was also selected as the overall Advancing Healthcare Awards winner from across all category recipients. 

The awards recognise innovation, leadership and improvements in patient care across the allied health professions and healthcare science workforce. 

Dr Jill Halstead-Rastrick (middle) receiving her Overall Winner award.

Why this matters to members 

The Advancing Healthcare Awards are among the UK's leading recognition programmes for allied health professionals and healthcare scientists. 

Success at national awards programmes helps showcase the contribution podiatrists make to patient care and the population’s health. 

Recognition alongside colleagues from other professions – particularly within allied health – also helps raise the profile of podiatry across the wider healthcare system and highlights the impact of the profession beyond lower limb health services. 

The awards also demonstrate the amount of work being undertaken by podiatrists, from working in the community, contributing to public health, developing the workforce and research. 

What happens next 

The Royal College of Podiatry congratulates all the winners and finalists recognised through this year's Advancing Healthcare Awards programme. 

Links and references 

See the full list of winners. 

Update

Update 29.06.2026: We have updated this article with a new photograph of Dr Jill Halstead-Rastrick receiveing her Overall Winner award.