Seni Lewis Award 2025 winners announced
We’re pleased to announce Teeside Community Crisis Team as the winners of the 2025 Seni Lewis Award!
The award - in partnership with South London and Maudsley and the Metropolitan Police Service and the family of Seni Lewis – recognises exceptional work between mental health and the police to ensure care is delivered with dignity, respect and safety.
Created in memory of Olaseni ‘Seni’ Lewis, who died in 2010 at the Bethlem Royal Hospital after prolonged restraint by police officers, the Seni Lewis Award honours initiatives that reduce restrictive practices, improve crisis response, and involve patients and carers in shaping services.
Following tough competition, the Tees Community Crisis Team was presented with the award by the Lewis family at the award ceremony at the Royal College of Psychiatrists on December 15th. The winning project highlights the partnership between the Trust and Cleveland Police to enable people in crisis to be seen by the appropriate specialists as soon as possible.
Conrad and Ajibola Lewis, Seni’s parents, said: “Seni was our shining light and I am so pleased his legacy is continuing to highlight poor practice and that through these awards we are able to recognise those who are working hard to change crisis care so that it is safer, calmer and more respectful.
“There has been progress, but not enough and I am pleased that these awards are not only maintaining his legacy but also continuing to push everyone to do better for those who need to see lasting change delivered.”
Ade Odunlade, Interim Chief Executive Officer at South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We are proud to work with Aji, Conrad and the Lewis family to deliver this award for another year. The family has worked tirelessly for reform since Seni’s tragic death in 2010 and they have made incredible progress through courage and determination.
“We all recognise there is still so much to do, which is why this award is so important to act as an annual reminder of why we are on this journey and how far we have to go.”
Each year, NHS teams and partner organisations across the UK are invited to submit nominations to showcase how their work is helping to improve safety for people in crisis, reduce restrictive practices and involve patients and carers in how services operate.
Entries are judged by an independent panel of professionals selected by the Royal College of Psychiatrists and members of the Lewis family.
This year’s other finalists were ‘South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust – NHS 111 option 2/S.136 police advice line’ and ‘Sheffield Health Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust and South Yorkshire Police - From Street to Safety: Sheffield’s Section 136 Transformation’.
Our 111 Mental Health Service were proud to be named as finalists for this year’s awards. The project is a dedicated 24/7 service for police officers in South London, offering expert advice on managing individuals in mental health crisis under Section 136 of the Mental Health Act, directing them to safe places or services.
The team shared a short video about being shortlisted for the award:
At South London and Maudsley, our ongoing work to reduce restrictive practice, including our five key patient safety interventions, has been successful in reducing restraint by 54% between 2023 and 2024 and then an additional 35% the following year.
Professor Derek Tracy, Chief Medical Officer, said: “It has been an honour and a privilege to be involved in this year’s Seni Lewis Award and to see the examples of great work happening across the UK. This work is particularly important to us at South London and Maudsley and I was pleased that one of our teams was a finalist in this year’s award.
“It is great to see the importance of this work and efforts being made recognised and it is a vital way for us all to continue learning about how we can do these things better and make sure Seni’s legacy continues to have profound impact on how we provide care.”
Superintendent Lisa Parker, who leads on mental health and adult safeguarding for the Metropolitan Police, said: “This award is so important in recognising outstanding collaborative work between the police and health service to ensure those experiencing mental health crisis receive compassionate and high-quality care that puts their needs above all else.
“Seni’s death was a tragedy and we are proud to support the award in his memory to recognise the amazing work that takes place every day to keep people safe and ensure they get the care and support they need.”
This year we worked in partnership with the Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCPsych) for the first time to bring national reach and influence to inspire change and improve patient experience throughout the NHS.
Dr Lade Smith CBE, President of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, and a Consultant Psychiatrist at the Trust, said: “We are honoured to support Seni’s inspirational family in their goal to reduce restrictive practice and uphold their son’s legacy. Receiving the Seni Lewis Award is fantastic recognition of a team’s determination to deliver the very best safe and therapeutic emergency care despite systems being so under-resourced and overstretched.
“I’d encourage anyone who has shown the ambition to innovate crisis care pathways to put their team forward for consideration. It’s a wonderful opportunity to showcase your team’s leadership and for winners, a career highlight that will always be remembered.”
