Publish date: 6 June 2024
The Trust is celebrating after winning two Royal College of Psychiatrists London Division Awards.
We are pleased to share that Dr Christopher Bench won Psychiatrist of the Year, and Dr Suhana Ahmed received a special award for inspirational leadership and excellence.
This is the second consecutive year that the Trust has won the prestigious Psychiatrist of the Year award, with Christopher following in the footsteps of Dr Amrit Sachar.
Christopher is a consultant psychiatrist working for the Southall Mental Health Integrated Network Team. He said: “I am very grateful to my colleague and line manager Dr Raquin Cherian for her generous nomination. Although this is a personal award, I consider it recognition for all those working in busy general adult psychiatry posts, particularly in West London NHS Trust. The award has given me an opportunity to reflect and to thank the many mentors, supervisors, colleagues, and trainees who have helped me have a varied and enjoyable career. I am especially grateful to the many patients in West London, from Fulham to Southall, who I have been privileged to see and who continue to make our jobs worthwhile, endlessly interesting, and challenging. Psychiatry remains a great career.”
Chief Medical Officer, Professor Derek Tracy, praised Christopher for his accolade, calling him a “worthy winner.”
He said: “Chris is a universally respected and liked psychiatrist who has spent his career providing outstanding care to our residents in West London. He has combined this with excellence in academia, publishing high-quality neuroscience while keeping his work related to translatable clinical issues, and has been an educator and teacher to generations of psychiatrists in our Trust. On top of this, he has been a leader in various roles, including as one of our Clinical Directors. I was discussing his nomination recently with a colleague who remarked 'he's a gent,' and I can't think of a finer way to sum him up.”
Dr Suhana Ahmed said she felt “overwhelmed” by the award and that it “means more than anyone will ever know.”
She said: “I would like to give a heartfelt thank you to everyone who made the RCPsych London Division Awards the success they were last night. Part of my vision for the London Division has always been to celebrate those who often go unnoticed but bring so much in all that they do. Congratulations to all those shortlisted and winners."
Suhana’s external roles include being the Chair of the London Division and an executive member of the Faculty of Old Age at the RCPsych. In both roles, she has initiated and led many education and training initiatives. Her work also includes leadership teaching at other organisations such as 'Leaders Plus,' which supports parents during parental leave and beyond to progress their careers. Suhana has long had a particular interest in supporting and encouraging future leaders who are women and from minority ethnic backgrounds, with a strong approach and record in 'lifting as she climbs.'
Professor Tracy, who presented Suhana with the award, said: “I'm delighted to see Suhana’s work so recognised. I've known Su for a long time and have always hugely admired her compassionate, empathic style of leadership. She is an inspiration to so many but is always so humble about what she does. It is a fitting mark of the calibre of this, and the respect it engenders, that her Executive team at the RCPsych have created this unique award for her. We are very lucky to have her at West London NHS Trust.”
Congratulations to our staff who were runners-up on the night: Dr Sachin Patel for Psychiatrist of the Year; Dr Nilufar Majid for SAS Doctor of the Year; Dr Wala Salman for Higher Trainee of the Year; Dr Daniel Andrews for Educator of the Year, and Fahima Abdi for Patient and/or Carer of the Year.