A multi-award winning assistant psychologist at Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust can add another award to her collection after being named a ‘NHS Hero’ for her dedication to her profession.
Fauzia Khan took home the ‘NHS Hero Award’ at the Local Hero Awards in Birmingham on August 24.
The Local Hero Awards celebrate individuals and organisations that create positive change in their community and who inspire others to make a positive difference.
The NHS Hero award recognises key workers in the NHS who go above and beyond to help others and showcase great commitment in their role.
Not only did Fauzia pass a gruelling judging panel to reach the final, she also faced a public vote in the initial stages of the competition.
Fauzia, who works in the Trust’s Older Adult Division in Sandwell, has been a real advocate for making the psychology discipline more inclusive for other aspiring psychologists from minoritised backgrounds, by sharing her own experiences of being from an underrepresented background and pursuing a career in psychology, through her writing endeavours, speaking at conferences, and through her ‘Fauzia Khan Interviews…’ series.
She is also passionate about staff wellbeing, which resulted in her co-developing a staff wellbeing initiative during the Covid-19 pandemic. More recently, she has been involved in co-developing the ‘Unlock your Strengths Positive Psychology workshop’ initiative within the Trust’s Older Adult’s division, with Dr Kam Kahlwan (Principal Clinical Psychologist), which was warmly received by multidisciplinary staff groups.
Reacting to her win, Fauzia said: “The NHS has been a huge part of my professional journey and I feel really proud and honoured to be recognised in such a category and for such an important award.
“The initial stage of this award process was open to public votes, and I just want to say a warm thank you to everyone that took the time to vote for me. I’d also like to thank the judging panel for allowing me the opportunity to share my journey and experiences with them, and to the Local Hero Awards team for hosting these awards.
“And last but by no means least, I’d like to thank all my colleagues, past and present for their unwavering support throughout my time in the Trust – thank you all!”
Her win has been celebrated by her colleagues at the Trust, which is the Lead Provider of mental health, autism and learning disability services across the Black Country.
Ann Detheridge, Divisional Lead Consultant Psychologist for Older Adults, said: “Everyone’s so proud of Fauzia and the remarkable achievement she’s made in winning the Local Hero Award. It’s brilliant news!
“Psychology is a relatively small staff group, so we work closely together and when one of us wins, we all win. The uplift that such a prestigious award brings is wonderful!
“We really value the contributions of Fauzia and all of our Assistant Psychologists across older adult services and recognise that they are a vital part of the service.
“Fauzia you’ve made our day! Thank you from everyone in the Older Adult Division and congratulations – you’re our local hero too!”