Winners of the Royal College of Psychiatrists Awards 2015 announced

The winners of this year’s Royal College of Psychiatrists Awards have been announced this afternoon (November 10), and each presented with their trophy.

The college hosted the ceremony - now in its seventh year - at its own home in Prescot Street in the shadow of the Tower of London. Some 300 guests working in psychiatry and mental health attended – the largest guest list to date.

This year’s awards attracted the biggest number of entries yet, and the judges were hugely impressed with their quality.

Musician, journalist and Church of England priest Columnist and presenter, The Reverend Richard Coles, who hosted the awards described the event as “inspiring”.

He went on to say:

“We have a great deal to be grateful to the psychiatrist-community for. I am delighted to be here to celebrate excellence in psychiatry. Thank you for the invaluable work you do as a profession.”

Professor Sir Simon Wessely, President of the Royal College of Psychiatrists congratulated the shortlisted individuals and teams before the proceedings began.

He said:

“These awards ceremonies grow every year. It is so important to recognise and acknowledge the impact people make to the profession and to those people they help, and to remind ourselves of the fact that we do provide excellent psychiatric care.”

Presenting the Lifetime Achievement Award to Professor Peter Tyrer from Imperial College’s Centre for Mental Health was journalist and author, broadcaster and political aide, Alistair Campbell.

An outspoken ambassador for mental health, he said “It is really important we have these awards to fight for what psychiatrist do. Shout louder about what you do; it has an impact.”

To end proceedings, Professor Sir Simon Wessely, President of the Royal College of Psychiatrists took part in an informal Q and A with Professor Tyrer. As the anecdotes came to an end and the Lifetime Achievement Award Winner prepared to leave the stage, Simon said to his friend and colleague, “I don’t see you ever really leaving the stage Peter, but I do see you now getting a massive round of applause.” And he did.

And the winners are:

Ends

Notes to Editors

·         The Royal College of Psychiatrists is the professional medical body responsible for supporting psychiatrists throughout their careers, from training through to retirement, and in setting and raising standards of psychiatry in the United Kingdom.

·         The College aims to improve the outcomes of people with mental illness, and the mental health of individuals, their families and communities. In order to achieve this, the College sets standards and promotes excellence in psychiatry; leads, represents and supports psychiatrists; improves the scientific understanding of mental illness; works with and advocates for patients, carers and their organisations. Nationally and internationally, the College has a vital role in representing the expertise of the psychiatric profession to governments and other agencies.

·         The Royal College of Psychiatrists is an independent professional membership organisation and registered charity representing over 15,000 psychiatrists in the UK and Internationally.  The core purposes of the Royal College of Psychiatrists are to:

·         Set standards and promote excellence in psychiatry and mental healthcare

·         Lead, represent and support psychiatrists

·         Work with patients, carers and other organisations interested in delivering high quality mental health services

Nominations for the RCPsych Awards 2016 will open in January.

There are 18 categories in the RCPsych Awards 2016 including one new category: Psychiatric Team of the Year: Intellectual disabilities.

·         Medical Student of the Year

·         Foundation Doctor of the Year

·         Core Psychiatric Trainee of the Year

·         Higher Psychiatric Trainee of the Year

·         Service User Contributor of the Year

·         Carer Contributor of the Year

·         Psychiatric Communicator of the Year

·         Psychiatric Trainer of the Year

·         Academic Researcher of the Year

·         SAS Doctor of the Year

·         Psychiatrist of the Year

·         Psychiatric Team of the Year: children and adolescents

·         Psychiatric Team of the Year: working-age adults

·         Psychiatric Team of the Year: older-age adults

·         Psychiatric Team of the Year: non-age specific

·         Psychiatric Team of the Year: Intellectual disabilities

·         Psychiatric Team of the Year: outstanding contribution to sustainability

·         Lifetime achievement award

For more information: please contact:

Claire McLoughlin in the Communications Department.

Telephone: 0203 701 2544 or 07738 349070

Email: claire.mcloughlin@rcpsych.ac.uk