HPFT winners at the Royal College of Psychiatrists Awards 2021!
15 Nov 21
The Royal College of Psychiatrists held their annual award ceremony online on 11 November 2021, and amongst the celebrated winners were Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Trust’s (HPFT) Executive Director of Quality & Medical Leadership and Consultant Psychiatrist, Professor Asif Zia, who received the prestigious ‘Psychiatrist of the Year 2021’ award, and Dr Phil Temple, who won ‘Specialist Doctor/ Associate Specialist of the Year’ award.
Professor Asif Zia began his career in the UK in 1994 and held several senior posts before joining HPFT as Clinical Director for Learning Disability and Forensic services in 2013, and then being appointed as Executive Director of Quality and Medical Leadership in 2017. Asif is the regional advisor to the Royal College of Psychiatrists and a Council member of the NHS England East of England Clinical Senate. He is also an author of book chapters and academic papers on epilepsy and service evaluations for peer reviewed journals.
Receiving his ‘Psychiatrist of the Year 2021 award, Professor Asif said:
“I am thrilled and also humbled to be even considered for this award, and to be chosen as the psychiatrist of the year by my peers is a matter of great pride. I would like to thank all the service users who, over the years have taught, inspired, and developed me as a person. Thank you to everyone who took the time to nominate me; I really am truly grateful and appreciative to receive this award.”
Dr Phil Temple is a Speciality Doctor based at Little Plumstead Services in Norfolk, working in both the Broadland Clinic, a Medium Secure Unit for patients with neurodevelopmental disorders, and Astley Court, an Assessment and Treatment Unit for patients with a learning disability. He is also lead within the mental health team for in-patients’ physical health and actively involved in RADiANT (Research in Developmental Neuropsychiatry), a research consortium. Dr Temple is a TEDx speaker, and in the last year he has been involved in selecting TEDx speakers, offering mentoring, developing social programmes and promoting health related topics on influential platforms.
After winning his award, Dr Temple said:
"I feel very honoured and privileged to receive this award. I’d like to thank all of my colleagues at Little Plumstead - I’m grateful to work with a group of people who are consistently committed to providing a high standard of care for their patients, and to doing so in a patient-centred and inclusive manner. I’m grateful too to be part of an outstanding Trust with a culture of ongoing improvement and innovation.”
Dr Adrian James, President of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, said:
“I would like to express a huge congratulations to every team and individual shortlisted in this year’s RCPsych awards. It’s important to be able to recognise and celebrate successes, especially during such a challenging time. It’s been incredibly inspiring to hear about the great contributions to psychiatry being made by hard working teams and individuals across the country.”
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 Royal College of Psychiatrists Awards, which are held annually to recognise excellence within psychiatry, mark the highest levels of excellence and achievement within the field of psychiatry.
