RCPsych Awards 2024 

Our yearly RCPsych Awards celebrate the best and brightest teams and individuals in our field.

Below you'll find details of the winners across all of our categories, from psychiatrists of all grades and levels of training, to teams working throughout mental health care.

Lifetime Achievement Award

Professor Janet Treasure OBE

Janet is a Professor at King’s College London and a Consultant Psychiatrist at the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust. She has been involved in the training of medical practitioners, psychologists and clinical academics.

A key focus of her research has been working with people with lived experience of an eating disorder (patients and carers) to co design and co-develop and co-deliver new treatments with a particular focus on people with a severe enduring illness or comorbidities such as diabetes.

She has had a particular interest in the biological, psychological and social risk and maintaining factors and how these may be targeted in treatment. This has led to the development of MANTRA and its various adaptations in an international programme of research and development.

She has coauthored with people with lived experience several academic and self-help texts on eating disorders which have been translated in several languages. In 2024 she was a guest on the BBC Radio 4 programme 'The Life Scientific' and has received numerous awards for her work.

Core Psychiatric Trainee of the Year

Dr Kate Womersley

Kate Womersley is a CT3 in NHS Lothian. At Imperial, she is co-Principal Investigator of MESSAGE (Medical Science Sex and Gender Equity), a research and policy project working to ensure scientists account for sex and gender. MESSAGE Maternity extends this work by insisting that pregnant and breastfeeding women are included in research. Kate writes about science and medicine for The Guardian.

The judges said:

“Her nomination reads “Ethics of inclusion is central to Kate’s work”. Her passion for equitable, safe and effective healthcare for all shows through in her academic work (she is an accomplished academic), leadership roles (she was an invited Commissioner for the Commission on the Future of the NHS) and many will know her through her articles in the Guardian. But above all she is a warm empathic clinician with a strong streak of social justice in her.”

Higher Psychiatric Trainee of the Year

Dr Tom Nutting

Tom Nutting is an ST5 general adult psychiatrist working towards his rehabilitation endorsement in Bristol. He is passionate about greener practices in psychiatry, teaches nationally and locally on this, sits on the college's Planetary Health and Sustainability Committee, and is leading coproduced qualitative research on a women's inpatient therapeutic garden. He volunteers medicolegally for MedicalJustice. He has also published academic and creative writing.

The judges said:

“Dr Nutting’s application showed a strong and practical commitment to tackling social injustice and promoting both inclusivity and sustainability. His time taken out of work to prepare medicolegal reports and work charities supporting those requesting asylum with mental health issues shows a dedication to inclusivity.

“Taking on the RCPsych Green scholarship using that to promote a therapeutic garden and obtaining funding for the project showed a very proactive approach to sustainability while promoting therapeutic benefits for patients.

“His entry showed a higher trainee very much dedicated to issues facing society now and how he has worked to look at how things can be improved whilst supporting those with mental health issue. Well done and richly deserved.”

Patient Contributor of the Year

Emily Elson

Emily is a passionate advocate for education on Eating Disorders and Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD). Inspired by personal experiences, she shares her story widely to raise awareness.

Committed to co-production and equal power sharing, Emily has collaborated on many projects and notably co-produced the PMDD e-learning module for RCPsych.

Her work aims to educate clinicians and the public and to illuminate the challenges faced by those living with these conditions.

The judges said:

"Emily has shared her lived experience of an Eating disorder, Pre-Menstrual Dysphoric Disorder and surgical Menopause in extraordinary ways– she is a prolific speaker, on social media, has been on Quality networks and helped to write training. Her impactful talks have led to updated clinical practice and thus improved patient care. She is an inspirational role model."

Carer Contributor of the Year

Toni Wakefield

Following her interaction with Mental Health Services Toni has worked extensively for many years with multi-disciplinary teams to support her daughter’s journey to recovery, becoming heavily involved in the development of services and the promotion of good practice, making recommendations for improvement, training of CAMHS practitioners and students to promote participatory practice within services.

The judges said:

"Toni has worked tirelessly to support her daughter’s journey to recovery, being an active member of CAMHS teams, and helping change and improve services. Her work includes with her local NHS trust, research trials in collaboration with York University and Nottingham as well as the RCPsych CAP Faculty. She is a firm believer that, as a parent/carer, the best starting point for getting help and support for loved ones is on equal terms."

Psychiatric Communicator of the Year

Cynefin, Royal College of Psychiatrists Wales & Technology Enabled Care (TEC) Cymru

‘Cynefin’ is a Welsh word which conjures a very personal 'sense of place', belonging and relationship to community.

This programme enabled young people to explore issues that matter to them, ensuring that those issues were at the heart of decision making in the parliament ‘Senedd’.

The programme was delivered across different mediums, including topical school debates and interactive workshops.

The judges said:

“This year’s nominations were truly exceptional. The task of the judges was very difficult indeed but in the end the judges decided that The Cynefin Programme was outstanding and deserved to win.

“This is a programme of public education that allowed young people to explore issues that mattered to them right at the heart of national decision-making in the Welsh Senedd.

“It is an exemplary accomplishment as it worked across different media, debates, and interactive workshops. Bravo to the young people and the whole project.”

Psychiatric Educator of the Year

Dr Rachel Daly

Dr Rachel Daly graduated from the University of Cork and trained in psychiatry Nottingham and London. Rachel is dual accredited in general and forensic psychiatry.

She has worked in various settings, initially setting up Lewisham community forensic team, followed by many years working in Oxleas in the medium secure unit and prisons.

Rachel has been Director of Medical Education in Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust since 2022 and also has responsibilities for an acute psychiatric ward.

The judges said:

“Dr Rachel Daly is a transformational leader who has significantly improved quality of medical education in the region. The panel was particularly impressed by the depth and breadth of her achievements.

“Dr Daly's dedication to fostering a supportive and innovative learning environment has empowered medical students and doctors of all grades to reach their full potential and has helped to improve quality of local services”

Psychiatric IMG Champion of the Year

Dr Anilkumar S Pillai

Dr Anil Pillai is a former Training Programme Director at NHSE YH and consultant Old Age psychiatrist at Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust. In addition to clinical role, he co-leads the IMG network at school of psychiatry at NHSE YH and serving as IMG champion for BDCFT. Anil coordinates CPD activities, organises conferences, and advocates systemic changes to support international medical graduates.

The judges said:

“Dr Pillai has shown passion and clear leadership in developing support for IMGs across the region in the Bradford District Care Foundation Trust as the IMG Champion for the region including developing surveys on differential attainment, developing IMG support networks across the region, developed an IMG dashboard for the Trust to use and currently supporting a research fellow in looking at the impact of serious incidents on mental health of IMGs.

“Dr Pillai has been instrumental in developing an IMG Handbook for school of psychiatry.”

Early Career Academic Researcher of the Year

Dr Toby Pillinger

Toby is an Academic Clinical Lecturer based at The Maudsley Hospital and King's College London.

His interest is in the cross-over between physical and mental health, and improving the safety of psychiatric medications.

Dr Pillinger’s academic work impressed the judges particularly with its innovative nature and wide ranging potential benefits.

Mid/Senior Career Academic Researcher of the Year

Professor Saeed Farooq

Professor Saeed Farooq is an NIHR (National Institute for Health and Care Research) Global Research Professor, Professor of Psychiatry and Public Mental Health at Keele University, and Honorary Consultant Psychiatrist at Midlands Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust.

Saeed has over 250 publications and leads studies on improving treatment adherence, optimising treatment for severe mental illness and early detection of treatment resistant schizophrenia. He has grants worth around £10 million as principal investigator.

Professor Saeed Farooq’s work impressed the judges greatly. It is highly innovative and international in nature with great potential for improving care for mental ill-health worldwide.

Specialty Doctor/Associate Specialist of the Year

Dr Jennifer Gilligan

Dr Jennifer Gilligan is a Specialty Doctor working in perinatal psychiatry in Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust (TEWV).

She chose a SAS career after completing core training in 2020 and has worked to promote SAS as an alternative pathway.

She has an interest in leadership and management and has been SAS Advocate and now Associate Medical Director for SAS in TEWV.

The judges said:

“Dr Gilligan is an exceptional clinician.”

They were impressed with her interest in supporting neurodiverse patients, her involvement in research and innovation, and her role in advocating for SAS doctors.

Psychiatrist of the Year

Dr Asif Mehdi Bachlani

Asif is an Associate Non-Executive Director with Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust and works clinically as a Consultant Psychiatrist and Clinical Lead for the Autism pathway at Priory Woking Hospital.

Asif has recently become the Vice-Chair of the NHS Benchmarking Mental Health, Autism and Learning Disability Reference Group. Currently, Asif is leading the development on data and digital literacy skills for all grades of psychiatrists for the RCPsych.

The judges said:

“Dr Bachlani’s work is full of examples of all round excellence as a curious, innovative clinician, status quo challenger, stigma fighter and data driven population level change maker.

“His ability to ignite the passion and nurture curiosity in others is most impressive.”

Psychiatric Team of the Year: Children and Adolescents

Wakefield CAMHS Eating Disorder Team, South West Yorkshire Partnership Foundation Trust

Wakefield CAMHS ED team is proud to showcase a variety of innovative interventions that meet needs of their diverse population. Including an ARFID (Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder) parent/carer course, Intensive home-based treatment with Nasogastric Tube support and shown in outcomes to be successful, these quality improvement initiatives are possible via partnership working with West Yorkshire ICB and Mid Yorkshire Hospitals.

The judges said:

“The Wakefield Eating Disorders service developed an innovative service for an underserved population of children and young people who have Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID). They secured funding for additional clinicians and scoped out the population need for this service.

“This identified those children and young people who had physical complications, provided psycho-education to parents and carers and individual input for those who required it. The team has received positive feedback from young people and parents/carers and this pilot has formed the baseline for further development this service.”

Psychiatric Team of the Year: Working-age Adults

Oxleas Adult ADHD Service, Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust

The Oxleas Adult ADHD Team is an innovative, forward-thinking group, with 70% of members being neurodivergent, bringing valuable lived experience to their inclusive care. They use AI-driven solutions to streamline processes, expand services like psychoeducational sessions, raise awareness through community outreach centres, and are soon launching ADHD coaching for suitable patients, setting a new standard in ADHD care.

In choosing the Oxleas ADHD Service as team of the Year, the judges were impressed with the collaborative, innovative, multidisciplinary and cross-sector endeavours to improve the patient’s experience. By decentralising ADHD services and empowering all adult psychiatrists within CMHT’s, EIP and inpatient teams to manage ADHD within their teams, the healthcare provision has become more responsive and efficient.

Psychiatric Team of the Year: Older-age Adults

OPMH and Dementia (Project Fusion), Hampshire and Isle of Wight HealthCare NHS Foundation Trust

The core team includes an executive sponsor, a clinical system responsible officer (clinical leader and old age psychiatrist), a senior operational leader, a senior programme manager, CMO (psychiatrist) and the deputy director of mental health (ICB partner). The broader team include multiple stakeholders including those with both lived and learnt experience, and the Integrated Care System OPMH & Dementia Transformation and Delivery Group.

Project Fusion impressed the judges with their ambitious whole system program to benefit older adults with Mental health difficulties, working with internal and external stakeholders with a vision to transform the services to the needs of current and changing demography. Their way of collaborative system approach to address inequalities in care and cocreate a vision to deliver high quality evidence-based specialist mental health services for the older adults in Hampshire and Isle of wight. This would be an exemplar project that the team should be proud of and share widely.

Psychiatric Team of the Year: Digital Mental Health

The Pathways App Team, East London NHS Foundation Trust

The Pathways App was created by a group of service users and a team of OT's at the John Howard Centre, a medium-secure psychiatric hospital in London.

The app allows multi-disciplinary teams to track a Service User's progress through hospital on their way to recovery.

The judges said:

“The Pathways App Team have developed and implemented a system which has made an impressive difference in the quality of care for people with complex needs in a forensic service, markedly improving understanding, communication and satisfaction for staff, service users and their carers.

“The panel was tremendously impressed by the team's commitment to co-production, great user experience and a high standard of accessibility for people with learning disabilities or autism.”

Psychiatric Team of the Year: Intellectual Disability

Kent and Medway NHS MHLD Team, Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust

MHLD North Kent is a multi-disciplinary team that provides mental health support for individuals with Intellectual Disability.

They aspire to improve the quality of life for people with intellectual disability and Mental Health problems with their specialist knowledge and in partnership with all providers for people in Kent and Medway.

They are quality-driven and the people they support are at the centre of everything they do.

The judges were impressed with the team’s good leadership, their teamwork and their use of resources. This was done in a holistic manner for the benefit of the patients we serve.

Psychiatric Team of the Year: Quality Improvement

Single point of access (Rehab), Cheshire And Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust

Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS foundation Trust have been operating a single point of access into rehabilitation services for a few years now. There was an aspiration to move from ‘gatekeeping’ to ‘improving access’ while ensuring seamless transitions into rehabilitation services through timely, high-quality strength-based assessments. This entry showcases their quality improvement journey and the outcomes they achieved.

The judges thought that this was an excellent project combing multiple different tactics to optimise the access pathway to rehabilitation services. This was a sophisticated project leading to clear benefits for patients and staff and an exemplar of how QI methods and data can be used to improve services.

Psychiatric Team of the Year: Outstanding Commitment to Sustainability/Green Care

Mental Health Intensive Support Team (MhIST), Cheshire And Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust

MhIST offers community rehabilitation to patients with complex mental health difficulties was insufficient with a heavy reliance on in-patient care. Their aim was to develop a service that meets the needs of the population and achieves the triple aim of improving quality of care, patient experience, and getting better value for money. There was a clear goal to improve sustainability of support for this patient group.

The judges said:

“The intensified community support provided by MHIST is an example of the benefits from care that seeks to be preventative.

“Shifting away from out of area placements and bed-based support for people with complex needs, the team has created an effective, dynamic, and patient centred alternative that emphasises clinician led change and close collaboration with the local ICB.”

Further information

If you have any queries about the awards, please contact the Membership Services team on MembershipServices@rcpsych.ac.uk.