Skip to content
Corporate News
4 mins read

Turning Point crowned Public Sector Pioneer

There are moments that remind us just how powerful social impact work can be and attending the SE100 Pioneer Impact Awards 2026, was one of them.

Held at Manchester’s iconic Band on the Wall, on Wednesday 13 May, joining some of the UK’s most inspiring social enterprises, innovators and changemakers for an evening dedicated to celebrating bold ideas, compassionate leadership and life-changing impact. And amongst them was Turning Point - crowned as this year’s Public Sector Pioneer.

Adding to an already incredible evening, our Chief Executive Julie Bass was also shortlisted as a finalist in the Pioneering Leader category, a wonderful recognition of her leadership, vision and unwavering commitment to improving lives.

Navigate to

Celebrating the UK’s Leading Social Enterprises

The Pioneers Post and NatWest SE100 Index was created to recognise and celebrate the UK’s top social enterprises: organisations delivering innovative solutions to some of society’s biggest social and environmental challenges.

Earlier this month, Turning Point was also named in the prestigious SE100 Index 2026, which highlights the UK’s top 100 social enterprises based on impact, growth and leadership.

The awards shine a spotlight on organisations and individuals who are transforming communities, breaking down barriers and proving that compassion, collaboration and innovation can create meaningful change.

A Partnership That Is Saving Lives

Turning Point received the Public Sector Pioneer award for our groundbreaking partnership with Leicester City Council Public Health Team and Leicestershire Police to equip frontline police officers with naloxone: the lifesaving medication that reverses opioid overdoses.

The initiative is believed to be the first of its kind in England and Wales to enable all frontline police officers to carry naloxone voluntarily.

To date:

  • 746 Leicestershire Officers trained and equipped with Naloxone.
  • Carriage is voluntary, and our force uptake rate is 98.9%.
  • An evaluation of our initial pilot cohort found that 96% felt better able to respond to an opiate overdose after having been trained and equipped with naloxone
  • Naloxone has been administered by officers at least 33, potentially saving 33 lives

The partnership began in 2023 when public health, Turning Point and Leicestershire police through the combatting drugs partnership worked together to identify funding and establish pilot sites based on local data and need.

What followed was a truly pioneering example of partnership working; rooted in public safety, compassion, dignity and breaking down stigma around drug use. What makes the partnership so powerful is not just the innovation behind it, but the shared commitment across organisations to challenge stigma and do things differently.

James Edmondston, Substance Misuse Team Leader at Leicestershire Police, described the initiative as a reflection of a “strong and robust partnership commitment to saving lives and supporting people into long-term treatment”.

Officers reported feeling better equipped to support people experiencing overdose, while the initiative has also helped strengthen relationships between police, treatment services and communities.

An unexpected but powerful outcome has been how naloxone has become a tool for engagement, helping reduce stigma and showing people who use drugs that their lives matter.

Today, naloxone training is embedded into core training for new police recruits in Leicestershire, with every new recruit so far choosing to carry it. That says something powerful about the culture this partnership has created.

Andrea Knowles, Senior Operations Manager for Turning Point’s Leicester City service, said: “We are incredibly proud of our teams for turning our vision into reality. The response and engagement from Leicestershire Police have been exceptional, and we’ve been truly encouraged by the impact this partnership has had in fostering a culture of compassion within our community.”

This Is What Partnership in Action Looks Like

Julie Bass, CEO at Turning Point said: “Winning the Public Sector Pioneer award is a real testament to what can be achieved through strong partnership working. We are incredibly proud to have worked alongside Leicestershire Police and Leicester City Council on an initiative that is not only saving lives, but also helping to challenge stigma and strengthen support for some of the most vulnerable people in our communities.”

The evening was a celebration of awards, achievements, but more importantly people - people committed to creating hope, improving lives and challenging what’s possible.

With a huge congratulations to our Leicester city service, this award also reflects the energy of everyone involved in making partnerships like this possible - colleagues delivering services, building trust, championing innovation and never losing sight of the people at the heart of our work.