Over 100 colleagues attended our first ever Medical Celebration event earlier this week, to honour excellence and innovation and showcase the work of our medical workforce.

Attended by medics from across the Trust – including trainees, Specialty and Associate Specialist (SAS) doctors and consultants – the event was a fantastic way of highlighting the exceptional work carried out by colleagues over the past year.

The event was officially opened by Chief Executive Roísìn Fallon-Williams, Chair Phil Gayle and Medical Director Dr Fabida Aria.

Dean of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, Professor Subodh Dave, was the event’s special guest. He gave a presentation and participated in an open mic conversation with Deputy Medical Director Sadira Teeluckdharry, during which he shared details of his upbringing, his expertise in mental health and thoughts around health inequalities.

Team BSMHFT colleagues also spoke on various topics including developing molecular treatments for Huntington’s disease, community treatment orders (CTOs), mortality and morbidity, consultant careers and cultural psychiatry. There were also thought-provoking discussions on various Quality Improvement projects, many of which are currently ongoing.

Attendees also heard from Peer Support Worker, Abdi Hussain, who shared his mental health journey which led him to his role within Team BSMHFT.

During the day, there were two award ceremonies: the Post Graduate Medical Education Awards (PGME) for trainee doctors (presented by Dr Ruth Scally and supported by Caring Minds) and the Medical Awards (presented by Deputy Medical Director Imran Waheed).

There were seven categories in PGME awards recognising the great work of our doctors in training and those who train them. There were some amazing nominations and the judges found it very challenging choosing the winners for each award:

Trainee of the Year – Dr Tasnim Akhter
Core Trainee of the Year – Dr Tooba Khan
Higher Trainee of the Year – Dr Amaka Asiodu
Foundation Doctor of the Year – Dr Ioanna Papandreou
Staff and Associate Specialist (SAS) Doctor of the Year – Dr Claire Coleman
Foundation Doctor of the Year – Dr Ioanna Papandreou
Trainer of the Year – Dr Sophie Tomlin and Dr Hari Shanmugaratnam
Poster of the Year – Dr Sian Davies and Dr Kishan Pankania

The comments from those who nominated our winners illustrates their hard work, compassion and commitment. Dr Amaka Asiodu, winner of the Higher Trainee of the Year award was described as a ‘superb doctor’. SAS Doctor of the Year winner, Dr Claire Coleman’s nomination, said that she is ‘conscientious and compassionate’, receiving positive feedback from patients. Our winning Trainers of the year, Dr Sophie Tomlin and Dr Hari Shanmugaratnam were recognised for their commitment and wellbeing of trainees and their great supervisory and leadership skills.

Congratulations to all of our PGME winners and thank you for the valuable contribution you make to our Trust.

The Medical Awards were split into six categories:

Valuing Everybody Award – This award recognises a doctor that has made significant contributions to tackle health inequalities for patients and communities or promoted equality and inclusion in the workplace.

Leading and Inspiring Award – This award is not just for those in a medical management position. Anyone doctor at any level can be a leader and make a difference to service delivery. This award recognises a role model with integrity who creates a positive impact in the development of those around them. This is through their leadership style and willingness to help people to be the best they can be.

Partnership with Patients and Carers Award – This award recognises a doctor who has provided excellent opportunities for patients and/or carers to get involved with the development or improvement of care. The winner will keep patients at the heart of everything they do.

Working Together Award – This award recognises a doctor who works collaboratively across the health and social care system including VCFSE to improve services.

Unsung Hero Award – This award recognises a doctor who might not usually be recognised but has demonstrated acts of kindness towards those in need. This individual has gone above and beyond the definition of their role with no expectation of pay, praise or recognition. They show dedication and commitment to their role and make a genuine difference to others.

Patient Safety Award – This award recognises a doctor who has helped to drive improvements in culture and quality and has championed patient safety. It recognises a doctor who is striving to deliver improved patient care.

A number of nominations were received for the following medics; Dr Ali Alkammar, Dr Manny Bagary, Dr Bill Calthorpe, Dr John Croft, Dr Robert Evans, Dr Fahima Hakim, Dr Hamid Hassan, Dr Fairooz Hassiem, Dr Shajahan Ismail, Dr Rowena Jones, Dr Shrikaanth Krishnamurthy, Dr Hannah Leech, Dr Dinesh Maganty, Dr Kozara Nader, Dr Isaac Nyemitei-Addo, Dr John O’Brien, Dr Raghu Pingili, Dr Christina Pourgourides, Dr Elizabeth Richards, Dr Kallol Sain, Dr Ruth Scally, Dr Hari Shanmugaratnam, Dr Anne-Marie Simons, Dr Leela Sivaprasad, Dr Sophie Tomlin, Dr Erin Turner and Dr Selvaraj Vincent.

The winner of the Valuing Everybody Award went to Dr Hannah Leech. Dr Leech (pictured left) was nominated for her unwavering commitment to inclusivity, empathy and respect for all individuals. She is aware of the inequalities in accessing services for ethnic minorities and so is a capable advocate for patients. Dr Leech takes into consideration patients’ cultural backgrounds and experiences and is known for her kindness, compassion and she is an ally against discrimination, particularly racism.

The winners of the Leading and Inspiring Award went to both Dr Ruth Scally (pictured centre) and Dr Erin Turner (who sadly could not make the event).

Dr Scally was described as kind, compassionate, funny, curious to learn and teach, non judgemental, valuing others contribution, welcoming, patient, a wonderful trainer and colleague, a great asset to our Trust.

Dr Turner was nominated for her ability to always be accessible, inclusive, enthusiastic, and innovative about her role. Her nominator said it was a joy to witness and learn from her and that her dancing skills are on the 99th percentile compared to other psychiatrists.

The winner of the Partnership with Patients and Carers Award went to Dr Hamid Hassan (pictured left).

Based at Ardenleigh, Dr Hassan provides a level of care to service users and their families ‘above and beyond’ standard practice. There is nothing that he will not do to provide for them and advocate for them. Dr Hassan will often visit the unit on his days off to celebrate events with the patients. He often brings in his own things to share with the patients and can be found playing sports and games to engage with them. He will often travel around the country to meet with patient’s families, to answer their questions and alleviate their concerns. Team BSMHFT is incredibly lucky to have someone who is so knowledgeable and so passionate and goes ‘above and beyond’ every single day.

The winner of the Working Together Award went to Dr Selvaraj Vincent (pictured centre).

An active leader in children’s and young people’s pathway Dr Vincent has significantly reduced medical agency spend. Dr Vincent listens to all partners including voluntary, faith, social enterprise and social care and has implemented innovative approaches to streamline pathways and enable quicker access to care.

The winner of the Unsung Hero Award went to Dr Isaac Nyemitei-Addo (pictured left).

Dr Nyemitei-Addo’s best quality was said to be his ability to create an inclusive and welcoming working environment. He is deeply committed to the professional growth of his colleagues. He is a passionate educator, always willing to support trainees in their learning and development. His ability to offer advice and guidance, even beyond his formal role, has made him an invaluable mentor to many. His warm approach and genuine concern for patients has significantly improved patient satisfaction and outcomes.

Last but by no means least the winner of the Patient Safety Award went to Dr Shajahan Ismail (pictured left).

Dr Ismail has raised many aspects of patient safety to enable ward teams to have a lot of matters looked into. He still continues to raise matters regularly as they arise both with the ward leadership and if needed, to wider leadership, to ensure we are continuously learning and improving. Patients and carers have said they have felt listened to and looked after well by the ward staff. Dr Ismail has been a role model for his colleagues, especially the doctors in training, showing that as clinicians we have to use all the ways possible to ensure anything that can impact on patient safety should be raised.

Dr Sunday Olotu (left) was the winner of the Caring Minds raffle containing lots of goodies. Thanks to the generous donations, Caring Minds, our Trust charity raised £116 at the awards ceremony.

Concluding the event, Dr Fabida Aria, Medical Director and Consultant Psychiatrist said:

It was such an inspirational day. Events like the Medical Awards are a dream come true. Good doctors want to work for us and our trainee medics want to stay.

Dr Aria continued to thank everyone who attended and reflected on the many successes shared throughout the day.

Take a look at the image gallery below to see photos from our event including our winners.