At Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, we’re proud to celebrate the incredible work of our teams and individuals who go above and beyond to deliver compassionate, high-quality care. Here are our latest winners for Team of the Month, Individual of the Month.

Team of the Month – Leeds Forensic Service

The Leeds Forensic Service has been named Team of the Month, recognised for delivering exceptional care in one of the most complex and demanding areas of mental health services. Supporting individuals with severe and enduring mental health conditions in a secure setting requires not only specialist clinical expertise, but resilience, compassion and unwavering professionalism. The team consistently demonstrates an outstanding ability to balance therapeutic care with safety and security, ensuring patients are supported with dignity, empathy and respect, even in high‑pressure situations.

What truly sets the service apart is its strong multidisciplinary approach. Psychiatrists, psychologists, nurses, occupational therapists and support staff work seamlessly together, sharing responsibility for risk management and recovery planning. Decision‑making is collaborative and trauma‑informed, with every professional voice valued. This culture of psychological safety translates directly into safer, more effective patient care, while person‑centred practice remains at the heart of everything they do. Patients are actively involved in their care planning, and recovery‑focused language is consistently used, even within restrictive frameworks.

The impact of this approach is clear. Through proactive engagement strategies and relational security practices, the team has reduced the use of restrictive interventions and strengthened therapeutic relationships. They continue to develop meaningful activity programmes that support wellbeing, build life skills and prepare patients for step‑down into less restrictive environments. Alongside this, the team prioritises reflection, learning and staff wellbeing, routinely debriefing and supporting one another to maintain high standards of care. Judges praised the team for clearly living the Trust’s values, commenting that their work “reflects a strong correlation with Trust values, indicating high‑quality person‑centred care – the kind of care that is certainly worth recognising and celebrating.”

Individual of the Month – Katie Whitworth, Eating Disorders, Connect.

Katie Whitworth, is the Individual of the Month, recognised for her compassion, resilience and unwavering commitment to both colleagues and service users during an exceptionally challenging period. Despite facing significant personal and professional pressures, Katie has continued to show up for those around her, adapting her way of working to ensure people feel supported, respected and understood. She is known for helping colleagues navigate new ways of working, always making time to answer questions, offer reassurance and share her knowledge.

Katie’s empathy has been particularly evident through times of loss and emotional strain, including the devastating death of a service user. Even in the midst of grief, she has continued to provide steadfast support to her team and to demonstrate genuine care towards the people she works with. Her nominator described her as a “truly amazing human,” highlighting the personal support she offers to colleagues alongside her professional dedication. Judges echoed this sentiment, praising Katie for being “faced with challenges, pushed to her limits, yet continuing to embody respect, humanity and self‑giving compassion,” adding that her resilience and empathy make her thoroughly worthy of recognition.