A Night to Celebrate: SLaM honours staff at tenth annual awards ceremony
Colleagues from across South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust came together at the KIA Oval last night to celebrate the Trust’s tenth annual Staff Awards, recognising exceptional individuals and teams from across the organisation.
The evening was proudly supported by Maudsley Charity, whose sponsorship made the event possible.
The milestone event honoured the compassion, resilience and dedication shown by staff every day, particularly in the face of increasing financial pressures and complex system-wide challenges over the last 12 months.
Opening the evening, Interim Chief Executive Ade Odunlade reflected on the significance of the occasion, emphasising the importance of taking time to recognise the individuals behind the work. He said: “This evening really matters — because it is about our people. Every day, our staff show up in roles that are demanding, emotionally complex, and often under intense pressure. And yet, they continue to deliver with skill, compassion and unwavering commitment.”
There were ten award categories, and finalists were selected by two judging panels from over 400 nominations from staff and service users, each highlighting powerful stories of kindness, innovation, teamwork and leadership from across both clinical and corporate services.
Chair Jane Bailey said: “As Chair, I have the opportunity to see our organisation from many angles. But wherever you look — across services, sites and roles — one thing is constant: the passion, dedication and humanity of our staff. Our awards ceremony exists for one reason: to recognise that dedication. Not just the outcomes we achieve, but how we achieve them — with care, integrity, teamwork and compassion, often in situations that are complex and emotionally demanding.”
The winners of the 2026 Staff Awards
Individual Awards
- Great Place to Work and Care Champion: Joseph Amune
- Leading and Inspiring: Aishat Sode
- The ‘Unsung Hero’ award: Stephen Antao
- Clinician of the Year: Ben Mieszkowski
- Chief Executive & Chair’s Individual Award: Gbenga Olokuntoye
Team Awards
- Corporate Team of the Year: Central Peer Support Team
- Clinical Team of the Year: The Treatment Review & Assistance Team (TREAT), Lambeth
- Research & Development Award: PICuP Clinic, PMOA
- Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: Lived Experience Network (LEN) Steering Committee
- Chief Executive and Chair’s Team Award: Legal Services
