The nine winners of the first annual RCPsych Awards have been announced at a
prestigious ceremony at the Royal Society of Medicine.
The awards mark the highest level of
achievement within psychiatry, and are designed to recognise and
reward excellent practice in the field of mental health.
The winners of the RCPsych Awards 2009
are:
- Psychiatric Team of the Year – The Bridge
Substance Misuse Service, Solihull
- Psychiatrist of the Year – Dr David
Fearnley
- Core Trainee of the Year – Dr Ian
Harwood
- Advanced Trainee of the Year – Dr Susham
Gupta
- Psychiatric Academic of the Year – Professor
Michael Sharpe
- Medical Manager/Leader of the Year – Dr Ify
Okocha
- Mental Health Service Provider of the Year –
Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust
- Public Educator of the Year – Dr Philip
Timms
- Lifetime Achievement Award – Professor Sir
David Goldberg
The awards ceremony, held on 6 October, was
hosted by journalist and broadcaster Libby Purves. The
Lifetime Achievement Award was presented by Professor Louis
Appleby, National Director for Mental Health in England. Phil Hope
MP, Minister of State for Care Services was also in attendance to
celebrate the occasion.
Speaking at the ceremony, Libby Purves said:
“I was delighted to be invited to host the RCPsych Awards. I lost
my son Nicholas to suicide three years ago this summer. I am
someone who has accepted that there will always be cases of
suicide. I maintain a greater respect for psychiatrists because of
my experience, and I believe we need the blend of scientific and
intuitive skills offered by
psychiatrists.”
Professor Dinesh Bhugra, president of the
Royal College of Psychiatrists, said: “We received hundreds of
nominations and the judging panels were extremely impressed by the
high standard of entries. I heartily congratulate the overall
winners, as well as the excellent individuals and teams who were
shortlisted for each category.
“Psychiatry does on occasion receive bad
press, so it is hugely inspiring to recognise through the RCPsych
Awards those examples of outstanding individuals and brilliant
mental health services.”
Professor Bhugra paid a special tribute to
Professor Sir David Goldberg, winner of the 2009 Lifetime
Achievement Award. Professor Bhugra said: “Throughout his career,
David has contributed prodigiously and fruitfully to areas of
academic activity. David is a natural leader. People follow him for
his wisdom, his dedication to the subject and his awareness of
differences and similarities across cultures and societies. His
teaching skills, his mastery of the subject, and his wise
ambassadorship on behalf of patients and psychiatry make him a
charismatic figure. David is the ideal candidate to receive the
College’s first Lifetime Achievement Award, and is a richly
deserving winner.”
Nominations for the RCPsych Awards 2010 will open in
December.
For further information, please
contact:
Liz Leicester
or Deborah Hart in the Communications
Department.
Telephone: 020 7235 2351 Extensions. 6298 or 6127
Note to editors:
The RCPsych Awards 2009 were generously sponsored by:
NCI Information Systems Inc. (Diamond sponsor)
St Andrew’s Healthcare (Gold sponsor)
CHK Charities Ltd (Silver sponsor)
Cambridge University Press